Hugo's delight at GCSE grades

Year 11 pupils at Dame Allan’s Schools have been praised for their mature attitude to learning as they celebrated their grades and looked forward to resuming a more varied and active school life when they return in September.
By Andrew Coulson
Published 13th Aug 2021, 16:52 BST
Hugo Cornall, who lives in Embleton, achieved excellent GCSE results. Picture by Simon Williams.Hugo Cornall, who lives in Embleton, achieved excellent GCSE results. Picture by Simon Williams.
Hugo Cornall, who lives in Embleton, achieved excellent GCSE results. Picture by Simon Williams.

Among them is Hugo Cornall, from Embleton in Northumberland, who was thrilled with his set of GCSE grades 7 to 9 and is considering French, history and English at A-level when he moves to the Newcastle independent school’s Sixth Form.

“I’m feeling over the moon with my results because I’ve done better than I expected,” said the 16-year-old.

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“I did find the last 12 months difficult, especially working from home

Beth McFetrich celebrates excellent grades at Dame Allan’s Schools. Picture by Simon Williams.Beth McFetrich celebrates excellent grades at Dame Allan’s Schools. Picture by Simon Williams.
Beth McFetrich celebrates excellent grades at Dame Allan’s Schools. Picture by Simon Williams.

“But lockdown did teach me to value the smaller things in life. I started to appreciate what I would ordinarily enjoy at school and I’m grateful we are able to come back in September to a more typical school environment.”

Beth McFetrich, who lives in the Morpeth area, achieved a set of grades 7 and 8 at GCSE and will move into the independent school’s Sixth Form to study A-Levels in psychology, business and geography.

“I’m so happy with my results and I’m looking forward to coming back to school with everything a little more normal,” said the 16-year-old, who plays netball for Northumberland at county level.

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“I think lockdown learning actually benefited me, as I was able to take my own time with the work, and the support from staff was excellent – they were always available to help.”

Dame Allan’s Schools, which dates back to 1705, announced its excellent set of GCSE results just two days after pupils there celebrated an outstanding set of A-Level results.

Principal Will Scott said: “Our GCSE students have shown courage in the face of adversity and once again made us exceptionally proud with an outstanding set of results.

“They have been committed to achieving their absolute best and can now look ahead to Sixth Form, where I know they will flourish as the shackles of this Covid-19 pandemic are removed.

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“Once again we will see competitive sports fixtures on our grounds, integrated activities in our classrooms and singing on our stage, allowing our pupils to get the very best from their Dame Allan’s education.”

Related topics:Northumberland