St Anne's Catholic School St Anne's Catholic School

20th August 2020

Dear Year 11 student,

Congratulations on your GCSE Results!

As we arrive at your results day, I am fully aware that this is happening in a way that none of us would have wanted, and under circumstances that no-one could possibly have predicted just a week ago. The twists and turns that have been played out on the national stage over just the last few days alone have seemed like a surreal story. I fear this rollercoaster will have affected you. However, I have no doubt at all that the resilience and determination that you have always shown as a year group will continue to shine through these unprecedented times.

Most importantly, do not let what has happened over the last few days and months distract you from the fact that you have been amazingly successful in such difficult circumstances. We are very proud of you and what you have achieved.

You may be aware that the government announced on Monday evening that these grades are based upon the centre-assessed grades (CAGs) submitted by the school, or on Ofqual’s algorithm, whichever is HIGHER. This is a good thing, as it was likely that some of your grades would have decreased due to the algorithm. These grades are much more likely to reflect your hard work over your school career.

The CAGs were decided through input from your teacher, discussion at a department level and calibration at a whole school scale. The result is a centre decision on what we feel is a fair and realistic set of grades. To get a sense of how these results compare, they are in line with highest sets of results the school has achieved in recent years.

Who can I talk to?

No doubt it may be tempting to approach your teachers to discuss these grades. We ask that this does not happen. The process was a very difficult one for staff and was conducted over three months ago now. It is important to remember that the results you have are part of a school process and cannot be attributed to just one member of staff. Although the media has kept calling them teacher-assessed grades, they are centre-assessed grades. It would not be fair to put individual teachers on the spot. Also, the result you have might not be the result they gave, but a higher grade from Ofqual’s calculations anyway. At the time of writing it is not clear if there will be an appeals process, or what this would look like. If this something you would like to pursue, or if have any questions, please send us an email with the heading “GCSE Results” to info@st-annes.uk.com in the first instance, and we will get back to you as soon as we have more information.

Can I take the exams?

You do have the option of sitting the examinations in November if you would like to try and improve the grade you have been given for a particular subject. You would not pay any costs towards these exams. The envelope you have received today contains the registration documents for any student who would like to take this option.

What are my next steps?

You will find most post-16 colleges are flexible when it comes to enrolment this year. For example, at St Anne’s Sixth Form College is happy to admit students who have missed the entry requirements by one grade through our Passport Programme. Staff will discuss this with you on our enrolment day on Friday 21^st August if necessary.

If you have other questions or would like to talk to someone about your next steps, email info@st-annes.uk.com and someone will be in touch as soon as we can.

To finish, can I congratulate you on what you have achieved, and I am not simply referring to exam grades. You have coped through some of the most trying circumstances any 16-year-old will have faced in living memory.

Remember that we are here for you regardless of where you are going next, and for those that are starting a new chapter in our Sixth Form College, we look forward to supporting you with hitting the ground running in September.

God Bless

Mr Rouse

Headteacher