Trafford's headteachers hail impressive results in GCSEs

Nationwide, the proportion of passes and top marks was down on last year, when there were no exams, although up on the last year pre-pandemic.

It was no different at Stretford High, where The Messenger was in attendance.

Head Nicola Doward said: “I’m so proud of our children. They’ve worked hard all throughout coronavirus and got the results they’ve deserved.

“They’ve been so determined and focused. They’ve thrown everything at it.”

As well as the students, Mrs Doward also praised the parents and the teachers who make up the rest of what she called ‘the golden triangle’.

She said: “When those three work together, that’s when we get these results. They’ve stepped up to the challenge. Coronavirus could’ve pulled us apart, but it’s pulled us together.”

Some of the success stories at Stretford High included Aaminah Hafeji and Zaid Jalil, who are off to Loreto College and Xaverian College respectively, with a swathe of top marks.

Aaminah said: “I’m pleased. We had to do a lot of learning at home as well as revising at home.”

Zaid added: “It’s satisfying. I didn’t think I’d do this well. It was stressful, but it’s been worth it.”

Elsewhere in Trafford, there were impressive outcomes for Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, where around 40 per cent of entries achieved the highest grade, and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, where it was around 60 per cent. At the latter, 32 students got the highest grade in all of their exams, an achievement matched by only a small number of students in England.

And in Hale Barns, St Ambrose bucked a nationwide trend with better results even than last year.

Head Dermot Rainey said: “Both the students and staff the deserve credit.

“Much has been written about the disruption to education in recent years, not to mention the pastoral and societal challenges posed by the pandemic, so to attain these results in such circumstances is a phenomenal effort.”