A top girls’ school has achieved its best ever GCSE results despite national warnings of “volatility” in results due to an exam system overhaul.

Rosebery School, in White Horse Drive, Epsom, is celebrating 87 per cent five A*-C grades, including maths and English, up from 84 per cent last year. It achieved 92 per cent five A*-C grades.

Headteacher Ros Allen said: “They are our best ever results. They are significantly up on last year, and in a year when Ofqual has been warning results will be quite flat.

“We are delighted we have managed to sustain and improve in a very challenging year. It’s a real testament to the hard work of students, teachers and parents.”

At the school hall where results were handed out this morning, Megan Illingworth, 16, said she was “overwhelmed” to get straight A*s in 11 subjects.

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Kaitlin Gebbie, Alisha Meme and Megan Illingworth

Megan said: “I couldn’t even sleep because I was so nervous. It was so much work but I don’t regret doing it now.”

She will take Maths, Economics, Chemistry and Biology next year and hopes to go on to study medicine.

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Headteacher Ros Allen with students at Rosebery School

Emmanuelle Godinho, who is interested in pursuing a career in science, felt immensely relieved to find out that she had managed to get nine A*s.

Emmanuelle said: “I got the envelope and stared at it for a while. I couldn’t sleep last night, but it’s ok now. I can breathe again.”

Among the other students celebrating were Kaitlin Gebbie with one A*, nine As and a B; Alisha Meme with three A*s, five As and four Bs and Gemma Abbott with 9 A*s. 

Across the country 68.8 per cent of entries scored A* to C, up 0.7 per cent on last year, but there has been a fall in English grades.

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