The Centre Assessed Grades awarded to this year's GCSE students at Colyton Grammar School means that they are well placed for the next phase of their education, according to school leadership.

As with A-levels, GCSE examinations were not sat due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following last week's disruption around A-level results, the government decided that this year's GCSE results would be taken from the Centre Assessed Grades provided by the teachers who have taught this year's GCSE cohort.

At Colyton Grammar School this was not taken lightly. Each student received an initial assessment from their teachers, which was then reviewed within a subject department, by peer-to-peer across the school, the head and then the Fischer Family Trust as a trusted third party.

"We have done everything we can to ensure that each GCSE student has received the grades they deserve – the process has been very rigorous," said Tim Harris, headteacher at Colyton Grammar School.

He added: "This year's results are very good indeed and accurately reflect the abilities of the GCSE cohort. My congratulations go to our GCSE students, and to my colleagues who have worked so hard to ensure fairness and clarity.

"We are confident that our GCSE students are well placed to embark on the next phase of their education."

For the majority of Colyton's GCSE students this means staying on into the school's sixth form. They will be joined by a number of students from other schools in the area which do not have a sixth form and who have achieved the appropriate grades to join.

Mr Harris commented: "With so much uncertainty, especially after the events of last week, we wrote to all incoming sixth form students from other schools to let them know that we would accept them based on their Centre Assessed Grades – this was before this week's announcement that those grades would be the final results in any case.

"We look forward to welcoming those students, and Colyton students who have decided to stay with us at sixth form, when the new academic year starts next month."

He added: "If there are students from other schools out there who have the grades and who want to join a sixth form with the best reputation in the region for progression to Oxbridge, Russell Group universities and vocational courses such as medicine and law, then they can still apply by contacting us at [email protected]."

Students who enter Colyton's sixth form will do so at an exciting time. The school has invested in a complete refurbishment of the sixth form study area and introduced a dedicated sixth form café to be run by catering experts Innovate.