In what has certainly been a unique and testing 2020 so far, King’s Ely is delighted to report that 92% of results this year are Grades 9-5, 60% are Grades 9-7 (the old A*-A) and 38% are Grades 9-8. 19% of results this year are Grade 9, the highest possible.

Eight students achieved at least eight Grade 9s, five of whom achieved ten or more. Among the highest achievers were George Collier, Matthew Danes, Eleanor MacGillivray, Otilia Salgado, Amelia Shaw, Mollie Egan, Harriet Froud and Philip Papafilippou.

Jonathan Shaw, Head of King’s Ely Senior, said: “We are delighted, that after months of uncertainty, our students have been rewarded with some very well-deserved grades. Whilst the top performers often receive the headlines, we are equally delighted for pupils of all abilities whose hard work has been recognised. Our reputation for academic excellence continues to grow.”

In Maths, all Year 11 students achieved at least a Grade 4 pass, with 59% of students achieving at least a Grade 7. In the challenging Further Maths GCSE paper, more than half of pupils achieved a Grade 8 or 9.

In English Language, all students achieved at least a Grade 4 pass, with 45% achieving at least a Grade 7.

Results in Biology, Chemistry, Religious Studies, Spanish, History, Drama, Music, Latin, Mandarin, Fine Art and Textiles were also strong, with over 70% of students gaining a Grade 7 or higher.

Philip Papafilippou joined King’s Ely in Year 10 and achieved all Grades 9-7 in his GCSEs. Like the majority of this year’s Year 11 cohort, he is staying on at King’s Ely for Sixth Form. Philip, who lives in Ely but is from Greece originally, said: “I’m really pleased with my results and can’t wait to start my A Level studies. I am studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A Level. I don’t know exactly what career I want to pursue yet after school and university, but it will probably be in engineering. My family and I had to self-isolate in Greece during lockdown but the online teaching, resources and support provided by all my teachers was fantastic. I am really grateful for this.”

Eleanor MacGillivray, who is from near Newmarket, achieved all Grade 9s in her GCSEs and will be studying Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Physics and French for her A Levels at King’s Ely. Eleanor said: “The support and opportunities I have received at King’s Ely since joining in Year 6 have been phenomenal. I am delighted with my results and would love to do a Maths degree at university once I have completed my Sixth Form studies here.”

Another delighted student is Sam Barber, from Cambridge, who joined King’s Ely in Year 9 and is this year’s Sixth Form Choral Scholar. Sam achieved all Grades 9-7 in his GCSEs. He said: “I was thrilled when I opened my results! I am really excited for Sixth Form and have so many opportunities lined up already, not just with music but in the school’s outdoor education programme, Ely Scheme, as well, including working towards my Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.”

John Attwater, Principal of King’s Ely, said: “We must remember these GCSE results are a well-deserved reward for students’ hard work over the whole of their secondary education, not just the past exceptional few months. I am convinced their grades have been accurately determined using the expertise of their teachers and that they can be trusted by the students, and later by universities and employers, as a measure of pupils’ attainment and capability; nothing in the politics or media comment of the past few days should take away from that. Most importantly, their achievements have set a great foundation for A Level study and we are delighted to be welcoming them back in September alongside many new students to our largest Sixth Form cohort for some years.”

36 students of 14 nationalities studying the intensive one-year IGCSE programme at King’s Ely, which sees them studying in their non-native speaking language, also obtained their results today.

96% of the King’s Ely International (KEI) cohort achieved Grades 9-4, with over half of grades being 9-7 and 11% being Grade 9, the highest possible. Saya Tsutsumi, from Japan, was this year’s highest achieving KEI student.

Matthew Norbury, Academic Director of KEI, is understandably proud of the students’ achievements. He said: “These international results bear testimony to the genuine resilience, fortitude and flexibility of our one-year IGCSE cohort, who had to return to their home countries under immense stress, many of whom had to quarantine alone and all of them were remarkable examples of true distance learners. They should be justifiably proud of all they have achieved.”

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