Year 11 students at St Dunstan’s College, Catford, south London, have been celebrating their exceptional GCSE results today, which when compared with previous public examination results at the College are the best-ever on record.

47% of all GCSEs were grades 9 or 8, the former A* grade, with 69% a grade 7 or above, and 85% grades 9-6.

Reflecting on the excellent achievement of St Dunstan’s Year 11 students, the Head, Mr Nick Hewlett, explained: ‘Our Middle School programme promotes individual journeys and subject profiles, in line with our commitment to a broad education for students, and to see such excellence across a diverse range of subjects is a phenomenal achievement. I’m sure that these students will go on to achieve great results in their Sixth Form studies as well.’

Mr Jonathan Holmes, Deputy Head (Academic) added: ‘These GCSE results are an endorsement of the hard work and resilience of students across two difficult years of national challenge, with various lockdowns and times learning online from teachers. To see the students’ dedication rewarded with these record-breaking GCSE grades is a joy. It’s particularly pleasing to see nearly half of all GCSEs achieve the very top grades 9 and 8, equivalent to the former A* grade.’

Commenting on areas of exceptional academic strength, Mr Holmes explained: ‘Our state-of-the-art STEM Centre for Excellence and Innovation is truly coming into its own, with phenomenal results achieved in Sciences and Mathematics. This is also our first set of results for two exciting new GCSE courses on offer at St Dunstan’s, with excellent grades secured in Design Engineering and Further Mathematics.’

Year 11 student, Inaya, who achieved excellent results, said: ‘I’m really pleased with my results today. I’m looking forward to joining St Dunstan’s Sixth Form now to study Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Design Engineering.’
Rio, who also achieved outstanding grades, added: ‘I’m so pleased with my results, I wasn’t quite expecting them so it’s a nice surprise. I will miss Year 11 as the year group was really close, however, I’m looking forward to starting the Sixth Form. I’m looking forward to having more independence and studying Mathematics, Physics, Drama and Geography.’

Today’s GCSE results come a week after Year 13 students achieved record-breaking results in their A Level exams. 29% of all A Level grades were A*, with 63% either A* or A, and 88% grades A*-B.

10% of students achieved 3 A* grades or higher, with multiple students achieving 4 A*s, and over a third of students awarded at least 3 As.

The record-breaking A Level and GCSE results come at an exciting time for St Dunstan’s College. In June, the school won Independent Senior School of the Year at the Tes Awards, which are known as the Oscars of education, and the College is shortlisted for eight awards at the upcoming Independent Schools of the Year Awards.

Tes Awards’ judge David James, who has worked in the independent sector for more than 20 years, said: ‘There’s a very clear and coherent vision of what they want to do, both with the curriculum and the local community.

‘The head is asking interesting questions of the sector, including areas like privilege and responsibility, which go beyond the usual platitudes. It’s a really interesting school in a tough market, trying to not just survive but actually make something different for the children and families they’re working with.’
Last year, St Dunstan’s also celebrated the opening of a new Junior School, STEM Centre and Sixth Form Centre. The developments were the most significant since the school’s opening in 1888.