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Students have secured GCSE grades to be proud of through “sheer grit and determination” during the pandemic.

Today, Year 11 students received their long-awaited GCSE results – with more top grades across more subjects than ever before.

For the second year running, the traditional external exams were cancelled and students instead graded on a combination of in-school assessments, work already completed and coursework.

Despite the challenges of lockdown and remote learning, head of school Mike Yerosimou today praised the year group for overcoming adversity to succeed.

Mr Yerosimou, who is also pleased to see more students enrolling into the school’s sixth form than ever before, said: “We are beyond proud of this group of students. We’ve rarely seen a year group pull together in the face of adversity in the way that this Year 11 did.

“When we returned in March, there was lots of uncertainty around the way students would respond to the fact exams had been ‘cancelled’. Would they simply down tools? Would they lose focus? Would they not even bother coming in!? We needn’t have worried.

“We communicated with parents, carers and students constantly and among ever-changing guidance, we worked together to get through the most challenging year. Students worked hard, revised and prepared, at short notice, for a wide range of assessments across all subject areas. It certainly did not feel like exams were ‘cancelled’ for Epping St John’s Year 11s!

“Nobody will ever be able to discredit or take these grades away from them because they earned them in unprecedented circumstances through sheer grit and determination. The fact they have done so well and that we are welcoming so many of them back through the doors of Epping St John’s Sixth Form makes it all the sweeter.”