STUDENTS from Leytonstone's Connaught School for Girls and Sixth Form are still feeling surprise, relief and jubilation after achieving top GCSE results.
There were smiles all around as girls and teachers alike celebrated the ‘exceptional’ results achieved, with 12 pupils obtaining all Grades 6s and above.
Mayor of Waltham Forest Elizabeth Baptiste joined teachers and pupils at the school to congratulate students on their success.
Headteacher at Connaught School for Girls Ms Avani Higgins said: “Our students have had to endure a period that none of us have ever had to face since World War Two.
“They have had to study and prepare for assessment in a climate of late changes and delayed decision making by the government in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty,"
Among the star pupils were Aisha Naeem, who achieved 11 Grade 9’s and Bianca Pascal, who achieved a Grade 7 and above in every subject.
Speaking about her experience during the pandemic, Aisha Naeem revealed how the adversity her parents from Afghanistan had faced spurred her on to work hard.
Aisha said: “I wanted to make my parents proud, they don’t know what GCSE’s are but they understand the struggles and pressures I’ve had to face this year.”
While Bianca Pascal spoke of her initial struggle to stay motivated, despite excelling in Physics and her ambition to become an engineer.
Bianca said: “Studying during the pandemic has been really overwhelming, but now I feel really encouraged as my goal to become an engineer at a top school seems more achievable.”
Headteacher Avani Higgins, said: "These results are exceptional, by any standards. Our students have had to endure a period that none of us have ever had to face since world war two.
"They have had to study and prepare for assessment in a climate of late changes and delayed decision-making by the government in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. As a school, we’ve done everything we could to support our students to keep things calm and normal. These results demonstrate how amazingly resilient our students are. They absolutely deserve their success. But let’s not forget the staff who taught and supported them through this journey. They have worked relentlessly to protect our students from the impact of the changes to exams, rising to the challenges with professionalism and diligence."
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