GCSEs: 'Best results' for students at Blyth Academy

The Academy, one of ten secondary academies sponsored by Northern Education Trust, has also shown a strong improvement in the number of passes in English and Maths, with 49% of students overall achieving a good pass in English and Maths, demonstrating an improvement of 17% on last year’s results.

The grades for many subjects have changed from A* to G to a new ranking of 9 to 1. In simple terms, this means that grades 8 and 9 are equivalent to the old A* (with grade 9 being the top 20%), grade 7 similar to an A grade, grades 6/5/4 linked to the old B and C grades, grades 3/2/1 linked to the old D to G grades. However, not all subjects have changed to these numerical grades so many students will still be getting a mixture of letters and numbers.

There were some outstanding individual successes:Kieran Campbell achieved grade 9 in Maths and English LanguageLeonie should read Katy Wilson achieved grade 9 in Maths and grade 7 in English LanguageCaitlin McNichol achieved grade 8 in Maths and grade 7 in both English Language and English LiteratureKieran Constantino achieved grade 6 in Maths and grade 8 in English Language

Andrew Murphy, Principal for this cohort of students, thanked the students and staff for their efforts and commitment, saying: “This is a dramatic increase in results which is not often seen. I am extremely proud of the students for their hard work and I would like to congratulate them and thank the staff and governors for their continued commitment and passion for ensuring our students succeed.

"We are delighted for the students, their families and the community and wish them well in the next stage of their education."

Michael Robson, executive principal of The Blyth Academy added his praise saying: “Students and staff are to be congratulated for these results and should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished. They have all worked incredibly hard to achieve at these levels, and the results reflect the dedication and commitment they have shown.”

David Hall, chairman of the Academy Council, said: ‘This is a momentous day for Blyth Academy and its students. Never before have we seen results of this level at the Academy. It means our students now have a great wealth of options to further their studies or begin a career or apprenticeship. Today is a new beginning for Blyth as a town, it's success and economic prosperity and we look forward to even better outcomes in the future.

"I would like to pay tribute to the students and their teachers who have worked so hard to bring this level of success and I hope they as proud of themselves today as I am."

Rob Tarn, chief executive of Northern Education Trust, said: “When considering the vastly improved results this year across all ten secondary academies sponsored by Northern Education Trust I offer my sincere congratulations and thanks to all students and staff. These results reflect the many positive changes that have taken place in our academies, with the introduction of a range of new systems.

"Much greater expectations have been placed on students, and these results show how brilliantly they have responded and how hard they have worked. We aim to enhance the life chances of the children and young people in our care, and these results are the culmination of their incredible efforts and dedication, allowing them to progress to the next stage of their lives with confidence in their abilities to succeed.

"We are extremely proud of our students and wish them every success with their futures.”