UCS Hampstead head champions students’ achievements in creative arts GCSEs
UCS pupils celebrate breaking the school record for the number of top grades received. 66per cent of grades were either A*, 8 or 9. Photo by UCS Hampstead - Credit: Archant
The headteacher of University College School Hampstead has championed his students’ achievements in the creative arts on a record-breaking GCSE results day.
UCS headmaster, Mark Beard, congratulates UCS pupils on their GCSE results this morning. 88per cent of the year group�s grades were the equivalent of A*-A. Photo by UCS Hampstead - Credit: Archant
The headteacher of University College School Hampstead has championed his students’ achievements in the creative arts on a record-breaking GCSE results day.
This morning, boys receiving their results at UCS in Hampstead celebrated achieving the highest number of top grades in the school’s history.
About two thirds of grades awarded to UCS pupils this summer were A* (or 8/9). 73 boys were awarded straight A/A* grades (or 7, 8, 9 grades) and over 20per cent of the cohort achieved a clean sweep of A* (or 8 and 9) grades. Nine boys secured straight 9 and A* grades and 88pc of the year group’s grades were the equivalent of A*-A.
Headmaster Mark Beard said: “While the performances of pupils in STEM subjects was strong – 56pc of Maths grades were a 9 and 94pc of chemistry grades were graded A* or A for example – the calibre of the grades in the arts and creative subjects is worth championing.
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“56pc of English literature grades – a subject studied by all pupils at GCSE – were a 9 and 99pc of pupils achieved at least a 7. 97pc of pupils taking design and technology were awarded either an A* or an A and 95pc of art grades were a 9, 8 or 7 grade.
“These results are set against the national trend where, across the UK, the numbers of pupils studying creative subjects have dropped considerably since 2012 and there is a similar decline in pupils studying modern languages.
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“Today, 90pc of UCS pupils secured either an A* or an A at GCSE in French, and in September the school will be expanding its provision for modern languages with a fifth subject, Italian, being added to the curriculum.
“The number of children studying drama to GCSE level has dropped by 18pc across the UK; at UCS, drama is on a meteoric rise, and more than 100 pupils will be studying this as a GCSE option in the forthcoming academic year.”
In 11 subjects at UCS, pupils were examined using the new numbering grade system (1-9) and ten subjects were examined using the final year of the legacy specifications with students receiving alphabetical grades. In the new system, a 7 grade roughly equates to an A grade, an 8 to an A* and a 9 is considered to be a super A*. In 2019, all subjects will be examined and graded using the new 1-9 system.
