Westminster Academy pupils ‘put pandemic challenges behind them’

GCSE results for pupils at Westminster Academy in central London showed the youngsters appeared to have put the challenges of the pandemic behind them, according to their headteacher.

“There’s such pride on a day like today – the students, as always, tend to be a little anxious and sometimes pessimistic, and so it’s been lovely to see in many faces they’ve exceeded their own expectations, which is wonderful,” said Dr Paul Wood.

This year has seen the first set of in-person GCSE exams take place since before the pandemic, and Dr Wood said he was “delighted” that this year’s grades exceeded the Academy’s GCSE results in 2019.

“The students were well-prepared and seem to have managed to put many of the challenges of the pandemic behind them, and really showed an impressive focus between January and May this year,” he added.

Dr Wood said that the school’s pastoral team “was making hundreds of phone calls home a week… literally four to six hundred calls”, during lockdown, adding that “the teachers were just relentless”.

Each child at the school is provided with a Chromebook laptop, which enabled them to continue with normal timetables “week in, week out” during lockdowns, Dr Wood added.

“I think prioritising the investment in technology was a great decision, and that doesn’t come easily in a state school,” he said.

Andrea Milenova Aleksieva, 16, said she was “ecstatic” when she discovered she had achieved mostly 9s.

“I couldn’t believe it, I started shaking when I opened my [results], and then I saw a couple of my teachers and thanked them,” she told the PA news agency. “I still can’t believe it.”

Andrea, who plans to begin the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme next month, said news stories about lower pass rates this year were daunting, but that she “tried not to listen”.

Adam Qureshi, 16, said receiving his results – a mix of 9s, 8s, and 7s – felt “amazing”, and that it “gives [him] confidence going into sixth form”.

Adam, who hopes to study medicine and plans to begin the IB programme in September, said completing part of his education during lockdown “was tough, I think most people found it hard, because there are a lot of disruptions at home”.

He would be the first to study medicine in his family, and said he finds the profession “inspiring”.

Sarah Zahr, 16, who also hopes to become a doctor, said she felt “really happy” with her results: a mix of 9s, 8s, 6s, 7s, and a starred distinction.

She said she has “wanted to do medicine ever since [she] was young”, and that she hopes to study the subject at Imperial College London.

For Tuba Tulepa and Dua Gollaku, both 16, Thursday brought some much-needed relief after a summer spent worrying about results.

“It’s gone better than expected,” said Tuba, who passed all of her subjects. She said that taking exams in person, after a period of online learning, was “very stressful”.

The friends used to stay after school to study together most evenings before the pandemic, and were unable to do this during lockdown.

“Having teachers around, I learn so much more – at home, nothing’s pushing me to do the work, just sitting on my bed with my laptop,” Tuba added.

“It’s much easier at school because you can go up to them after school and ask them anything, and at home you can’t,” said Dua. But she added that the school was “really supportive – it really, really helped us”.

Visiting Westminster Academy on Thursday, Stephen Morgan MP, Labour’s shadow schools minister, told PA: “It’s always a pleasure to go into schools across the country as schools minister, and I’ve been really excited to come in today and recognise the achievements of young people.

“Opening those envelopes is always a very daunting thing for any person to do.”

“Especially after so much disruption that these young people have faced in the last few years, I know that our country will be really proud of the achievements that young people have made today,” he added.

However, he pointed out that there is “a widening gulf between private and state schools… and we’re seeing regional inequalities already”, while adding that the Education Secretary “needs to bang heads together” to fix problems surrounding delayed BTec results.

Maka Baramidze, Westminster Academy’s vice principal for safeguarding, inclusion and behaviour, said that this year’s GCSE results day had been “amazing”.

“Every day we come to school, everything leads up to this – after years of education, seeing those happy faces. That’s it, that’s the point of our job – nothing else is important,” he said.