STUDENTS from our two Church of England secondary schools have achieved remarkable results in GCSEs this summer.

Jason Morgan, Kamil Szerszen and Joshua Quantick at Charter Academy receive their results

Zarina Molchan and Antonia Hyzova from Charter Academy are overjoyed with their grades

Samuel Hughes, Lizzie Back, Jack Wilson, Emily Snow and David Pasons from Christ the King College

Emily Snow and Lizzie Back from Christ the King College

Christ the King College in Newport celebrated their first set of GCSE results with an outstanding figure – the highest ever achieved by an Isle of Wight state school.  

A total of 77 per cent of pupils gained five grades between A* and C, including English and maths. It put the college in the top 25 per cent of similar schools in England.

And 51 per cent of GCSE candidates at Charter Academy in Portsmouth managed the same feat. It was an increase of 12 percentage points on last year and 30 percentage points since it opened in September 2009.

Staff, governors and pupils at both schools expressed their delight at the excellent statistics.

Emily Snow, 16, said: “We were faced with a tricky decision – should we stay at Christ the King College, which has never before done GCSEs, or go to a less caring and supportive island school, which offers more experience?

“In the end, the gamble paid off. Thanks to the quality of teaching and reliable pastoral care, this summer I achieved six A*s and 8 As in my GCSEs as well as an A in AS-Level English. I am incredibly grateful to the college for pushing and motivating me to achieve these results.”

David Parsons, also 16, said: “Having achieved nine A*s, three As and a B at GCSE, I hope to complete A-Levels in maths, physics, chemistry and biology at Christ the King. The college is a hub of academic achievement and creativity, but also exudes a welcoming presence.”

Principal Pat Goodhead said: “I am absolutely thrilled for our first Year 11 cohort who have achieved what are an outstanding set of results. 

“It demonstrates that island young people can achieve results to compare favourably with their peers across the country.”

The college’s GCSE success follows the recent Ofsted inspection, which praised its curriculum for notable features, including the provision of Latin, and the range of opportunities for students.

The college also launched a new era last month as it opened a sixth form for the first time. The majority of its 130 or so students are those who have stayed on after taking GCSEs. 

A new, separate sixth form building is planned, and staff have been trained and recruited to teach an A-Level curriculum.

“Families are wanting to continue their children’s education in a faith-based context, and we’re determined to give those students the right balance between the independence they want and pastoral care they need,” said Mrs Goodhead.

Meanwhile, GCSE results at Charter Academy improved for the third successive year since it took over from St Luke’s C of E School.

Principal Dame Sharon Hollows said: “Each year we have set ourselves ever higher expectations, I am delighted that the hard work of our students and teachers, and the outstanding support of our parents, has paid off and particularly pleased with the performance in maths.

“While the change in the grade C threshold in English this year has raised the bar further, and is reflected in both the English and the overall results, we are continuing to make good progress across our curriculum.

“As we look forward to work starting on our new building, I know that all our staff all share a commitment to delivering outstanding education and a determination to continue to raise our students’ achievement.”