Shropshire schools report excellent grades for GCSEs
[gallery] The last ever GCSE pupils at a school closed by Shropshire education chiefs have seen a "significant increase" in pass rates.
The Wakeman in Shrewsbury was the only secondary school in the county to be closed in an education shake-up designed to combat falling numbers.
But despite the upheaval, the proportion of pupils getting top level GCSEs rose.
School officials said 58 per cent of pupils gained five or more A* to C grades or equivalent including English and mathematics, compared to 46 per cent last year.
The results also showed that 74 per cent of pupils have gained five or more A* to C grades or equivalent across all subjects.
Headteacher Karen Moore said: "We are delighted for our students, who have had to contend with all the trauma associated with the school's closure."
Elsewhere, two bright spark siblings have scooped top GCSE passes – at the age of just 10 and 12.
Amelia and Thomas Philips were surrounded by teenagers as they collected their Spanish results from Burton Borough School yesterday.
Amelia achieved an A* and Thomas picked up an A.
The pair were put forward to sit the exam years early as they lived in Spain until recently and are fluent in the language.
Caroline Stokes, the headteacher's assistant at the school, said: "They went to a Spanish school and played with Spanish children so they were fluent in the language.
"They had such fabulous knowledge of the language that it was an opportunity for them to do the exam early."
The pair sat the exam alongside Year 11 students.
Amelia has just completed her first year at Burton Borough, while Thomas is heading into Year Six at Newport Junior School.
In Ellesmere, two pupils from Lakelands School achieved distinctions in one of their subjects, putting them in the top five per cent in the country.
Jake Saunders and Nick Stokes, both 16, were awarded the A* with distinction in their further maths GCSE exams.
And Stephen Hawke, principal of Abraham Darby Academy in Madeley, said the school was the most improved in Telford & Wrekin.
The school achieved a nine per cent increase from last year on the number of students achieving five A* to C grades.
Mr Hawke said: "This is a significant step forward for us and is reflective of the hard work of both students and the staff."
At William Brookes School in Much Wenlock, a fifth of pupils gained five or more A*- to A grades and 96 per cent gained five or more A* to G including English and maths.
But the proportion getting five or more A* to C including English and maths had slipped to 58 per cent with a slight fall in English results.
Llanfyllin High School saw 88 per cent of pupils gain five or more A* to C grades or equivalent and a 100 per cent pass rate across all subjects, while at Newtown High School all pupils achieved five or more A*to C GCSE equivalents.
Jim Toal, headteacher at Welshpool High School, said: "I would like to commend the students for their results and thank the staff for their diligent support of our students."
Caereinion High School's overall pass rate was 99.3 per cent with 76 per cent A* to C grades.
