Mr Hardwick, said: “I am so proud of everyone at UVHS and, in particular, this cohort of Year 11 students.  They have experienced so much upheaval, especially when they were in years 9 and 10, but have demonstrated amazing powers of resilience and focus to successfully navigate their GCSE examinations.  They have worked hard both inside and outside the classroom, achieving a great balance of academic achievement alongside returning to participation in our extra-curricular provision. Today we are celebrating all of their hard work and commitment with another set of fantastic results.

I must also mention the incredible staff at UVHS, both teaching and non-teaching, who have (as usual) worked tirelessly with this cohort since year 7. Their dedication and selfless determination to give the students at UVHS the very best start to adulthood, both in terms of academic progress and social/emotional development, always amazes me and, on top of least week’s phenomenal A Level results, demonstrates that this is a true community school.

Congratulations to everyone in Year 11, not only at UVHS but throughout the Furness Peninsula and South Cumbria - we wish all our students the very best of luck in their chosen paths as they take their next steps.”

Individual successes can be seen throughout the year group – notable achievements include:

Darwin has come away with exactly what he expected – 6 grade 9s, 3 8s and a 7. “Although I am a little disappointed with my 7 it’s a great set of results which I worked really hard for. I’m now looking forward to studying all the sciences and Maths here at UVHS next month.”

Tom was “delighted with a 9 in Geography. I am so surprised at all my results – they are much better than I expected. I’m really looking forward to staying here and studying Chemistry, Computer Science and Maths next month.”

Oli was “very happy” with their results (including 4 grade 9s and 3 grade 8s). They said they were most proud about their grade 7 in History but also “surprised at my double grade 9 in Combined Sciences”. Oli is staying at UVHS to study A Levels in Religious Studies, Spanish, French and Sociology.

Katherine achieved an amazing clean sweep with 10 grade 9s! She said “I had hoped for this and worked really hard, but it is still a big surprise to actually see it on paper. I thought that the English Language exams were really tough so didn’t expect a 9 in that at all.” Katherine is staying at UVHS to study A Levels in Chemistry, Biology, Psychology and Maths.

Bella was “over the moon” with 5 grade 9s, 4 grade 8s and one 7. “I am really surprised with a 9 in English Literature – it’s the first time I’ve ever had that high a mark and it was in the final exams. I had hoped for 7s across all my subjects – Geography was also a surprise with a 9. I’m staying at UVHS to study Chemistry, Biology and Maths.”

Lily did “a lot better than expected” with her 4 grade 9s and 4 grade 7s as well as an 8 and a 6. “I worked really hard and found the exams tough.  I’m really happy to be staying at UVHS and am looking forward to studying Chemistry, Biology, Music and Psychology at A Level.

Isabel and Rose were both delighting, achieving “much better results than we thought”. Isabel received 4 grade 9s and 6 grade 8s with Rose getting a similar set of results with 4 9s, 5 8s and a 6. Both are staying at UVHS to study A Levels to study English Language, History and Law and “will certainly be celebrating tonight.”