Aug 20 - GCSE Success For Gibraltar Students
There were tears of joy and squeals of delight as students opened up their much-awaited GCSE results this morning.
This year has seen an overall pass rate of grades A*-C at 66%, which has made Headteacher Michelle Barabich from Westside School, Deputy Headteacher Organisation Michael Tavares from Bayside School and Principal Leon Abecasis from the College of Further Education extremely happy.
This year, Westside obtained a 70% A*-C pass rate compared to 68% last year, with a 58% pass rate of A*-C including English and Maths. It was the first time when students were offered Dance as a subject, which saw 40% of the students gain an A* grade, and a 100% pass rate in the subject.
Mrs Barabich said: “We have a lot of individual success stories, many of whom are girls who may not have achieved the highest grades, but they have still done well.
“The GCSE year is a very stressful year for students and the girls work very hard. You can’t forget the teachers who work very hard as well, staying for extra sessions and helping the girls, motivating them and making them believe they can do it.”
Mr Tavares from Bayside is pleased with the results, noting a 4% increase in the pass rate from last year. Speaking on behalf of Headteacher Colin Skinner, Mr Tavares would like to congratulate the students for doing well at their exams, and the teachers for their efforts as well.
He added: “Last year we were not satisfied with the outcome of the results, so we put some strategies into place and focused on the literary aspect of exams and when it came to the sciences focused on the practical side them which has led to an improvement.”
Principal Abecasis said there is a big focus on grades, but with regards to the College of Further Education, what has to be noted is the improvement in students. The College gets a large number of students who might have got a D or a U grade the year before, but this year may have gained a C which is an improvement for them.
He adds: “It is important to recognise these successes as well if they are getting these grades in one year.”
Minister for Education, Gilbert Licudi QC, expressed his general satisfaction. He also thanked the teachers and their pupils for their hard work throughout the year.
He said: "It is gratifying to see that both Bayside and Westside have increased their pass rates compared to last year. This reflects a very positive trend.
“The schools and the pupils should be congratulated for this. At the same time we should guard against complacency as there will always be room for improvement.
“The aim must always be to ensure that each and every student achieves their absolute potential and this can only be accomplished by striving for excellence at every possible opportunity.
“The Department of Education will, as always, analyse the results and continue to work closely with schools identifying specific areas in need of development and improvement.”
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