For the second year in a row, a full suite of public exams had been successfully sat with none of the adaptions that had been needed in recent years to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, grades were awarded by centre-assessed grades (CAGs) and teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) respectively – generating higher outcomes than traditionally seen in regular examination years.

In 2022, a transitional year saw grades achieve a midpoint between those seen in 2019 and 2021. This year, staff and students at Withernsea High were cautiously optimistic of strong outcomes - despite suggestions that grades nationally would be lower than those of the previous three years.

Last Thursday’s results day brought just reward for the hard work of the Year 11 students in their final year of high school but, more importantly, as a culmination of their efforts throughout the past five years at Withernsea High. Most would agree that the journey through secondary school for this cohort, as for many young people across the country, has been challenging and yet their resilience and focus has shone through.

There was a warm atmosphere of congratulation as friends, family and staff came together to praise and celebrate students’ achievements, and to talk about their next steps.

Importantly, this year’s results have now paved the way for students to progress towards exciting first-choice destinations in further education, training or employment. Students were rightly proud of their achievements, and there was much talk and excitement about the new chapters opening for them as they now prepare to move smoothly onto courses at a wide range of post-16 providers including Wilberforce Sixth Form College, Wyke, Hull, Bishop Burton, East Riding colleges, and St Mary’s College.

Several students will also begin apprenticeships in a broad range of trades including plumbing, electrical, fitness, manufacturing, engineering and printing either directly with local employers or through providers such as HETA (Humberside Engineering and Training Association) and CATCH - an industry-led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Humber.

Commenting on the success of the students, Headteacher Mark Crofts said: “We are immensely proud of our Year 11 students who have deservedly achieved excellent results. We were impressed as they showed composure throughout the year as the pressure built up, and they tackled the exams with confidence and focus.

It has not been an easy journey for them with disruption during the early part of their GCSE courses, content to catch up on and the pressure of returning to full exams. They handled this pressure admirably, collectively achieving well and, in many cases, excelling themselves with results to be proud of.

I sense what so many of our young people have learned through this is that hard work and determination pays off, but also that self-belief and resilience will carry you through challenging times.

The anticipation about the next stage of our students’ careers was evident. Because students have engaged so well with information and guidance about life post-16, there was much talk about the courses and training they will be starting or, in some cases, have already started. Delighted as we are for students in achieving these qualifications, we share with them the excitement of where these will take them and we look forward to hearing of their next steps and future successes.        

It was delightful to have so many parents, carers and families joining the students as they opened their envelopes and then staying to talk with staff. Results day is such an important milestone for them too, and the sense of partnership between school and families could be felt. We are mindful of the trust parents and carers place in us and are grateful for the support they give.

My thanks to our dedicated staff who have had no small part to play in guiding these young people towards such worthwhile achievements. It has been yet another unusual year, but by working together we have achieved more.”