West Nottinghamshire College records 98.9 per cent pass rate on GCSE results day

This year’s results were based on centre assessment grades, which is a teacher’s professional judgement of the most likely grade a student would have achieved if the exams had gone ahead.

While the majority of students have re-taken English or maths alongside their main academic or vocational course, the college also had many adult learners who attended evening classes to improve on their GCSE grades from school.

Principal and chief executive Andrew Cropley praised students for their “resilience” in “these unprecedented and difficult times”, after completing their courses remotely through online learning and having their grades awarded by tutor assessment due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Cropley said: “Congratulations to all those students who have achieved their hard-earned GCSEs today, these are critical qualifications for students of all ages, so I’m pleased the grades which our staff have calculated so very carefully have been awarded.

“In these unprecedented and difficult times, the resilience of our students and staff has been outstanding and I’m very proud of them all.”

Corey Ashford, 19, from Mansfield, was “ecstatic” to gain a grade 5 in GCSE English – achieving the qualification at the third attempt.

He studied the subject alongside his main vocational programme, the NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Hospitality and Catering.

While Corey’s grade 3 in maths meant he narrowly missed out on a pass, he insists he’s getting ever closer – having improved on his successive grade 2 result, the teenager is now confident about passing it next year when he returns to college to study Level 2 Art and Design.

Corey said: “I’m ecstatic to finally pass English and I’ve done even better than I expected, I’ve leapt from a grade 3 last year all the way to a 5, so I’ve gone up two grades.

“I’ve always tried my best in English but my spelling and putting the right words and phrases in order kept letting me down, but I’ve worked really hard – especially in my creative writing – and finally it all clicked.”

Marshall Fairbrother, from Alfreton, opened his results envelope to reveal a grade 4 in maths, which means the 17-year-old can focus solely on his second year of studying the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Music when he returns to college in September.

Marshall, who has no sight due to being born with a rare visual impairment, septo-optic dysplasia, uses specialist software and screen-reading equipment which makes learning materials accessible.

He said: “I’m delighted to pass my GCSE maths because I got a grade 3 last year.

"It’s a big weight off my shoulders as it means I’m going to have more opportunities in the future.”

Other notable achievers included 38-year-old Louise Hawksley who achieved a grade 8 in English and single dad Kevin Gibson who was delighted to have achieved a grade 5 in GCSE Maths.