FOLLOWING close on the heels of some excellent university entrance results at A level, Bedstone College students are celebrating a bounty year at GCSE.

Despite the warning that top grades would be depressed, the year 11 cohort at Bedstone have produced the best A*/A (the new grades 7-9) since 2012, with one quarter of all entries across all subjects scoring at least grade 7. Eighty-six per cent of the total cohort achieved the benchmark of at least five A*-C (4-9).

The top performers were all local students. Arjen Olive and Will Rawlinson, both from Bucknell, and Dominic Hall from Minsterley each scored 7 grades of at least 8. Alex Rozee from Bedstone scored 4 grades of at least 8.

Steven Chen and Jason Gao scored 4 and 3 grades respectively at 8 or better.

“With the increase in difficulty across subjects and early indications that there would be downward pressure on grades, particularly at the top end, I am delighted with the results that our students have produced,” said head teacher David Gajadharsingh.

“I am particularly pleased with the results in the separate sciences. Of the 54 entries this year, only one was below a 4.

“There were 100 per cent pass rates in Biology and Physics. Physics grades were superb with more than 60 per cent being at least a 7. There were excellent results in Chemistry, DT and Mathematics where over 35 per cent of all entries were at least a grade 7.