Heads hail GCSE successes at Jewish schools

But while Jewish schools have again performed creditably overall, only Hasmonean Girls and JFS have so far been able to better their top grade percentage of 9 to 7 from 2019.

JFS students excelled with 55 per cent of grades at 7 or above - nine per cent more than its equivalent four years ago. One in five exams were passed at the highest grade 9.

JFS head David Moody said, “For a year group whose education has been massively disrupted by Covid, the results achieved by students at JFS have been extremely impressive, especially given the higher grade boundaries we have seen this year.

"Against a national picture of decreases, the average points score for our students has actually increased on last year’s result and, at 65.7, is nearly half a grade higher than our 2019 scores. It is an incredible achievement from an incredible group of students."

In English, 83 per cent attained at least a grade 5 pass (4 is considered a pass although tnot recognised by some universities ) and in maths, 91 per cent a a 4 or above.

Dr Moody added, "It is such a pleasure to see all the hard work of our students, so ably supported by their teachers and families, come to fruition and the results are a testament to the determination and tenacity with which everyone has applied themselves. It is fantastic to welcome so many of them back into our sixth form and we are excited to see everything that we can achieve together.“

 Grading boundaries returned to their pre-pandemic levels of 2019, after adjustments made because of Covid over the previous three years - although the percentage of top grades from 9 to 7 rose by a percentage point from 20.6 in 2019 to in England.

JCoSS announced that 45 per cent of all grades were 7 (the old grade A) or above.

More than a quarter of JCoSS students attained at least seven GCSEs at 7 or above; 28 per cent of exams were passed at grades 8 and 9 and 81 per cent at 5 or above (considered a strong pass).

Headteacher Melanie Lee, who joined the school at the beginning of the calendar year, said “These are excellent results, achieved despite exceptional challenges during the most difficult years. The outcomes reflect the huge amount of work and utter dedication from both staff and students.”

She added that “with many individuals scoring top grades and others outperforming their own expectations it is clear that this cohort of GCSE students have a great future to look forward to.”

Top performers at the cross-communal school included Pai Lustigman nine 9s, an 8 and and a 7; Katie Barel, eight 9s and two 8s; Amy Freedland, eight 9s, an 8 and a 7;  Tamara Brunert, eight 9s and an 8;  Adam Hershkorn, seven 9s and three 8s, Abi Caplan, seven 9s, two 8s and a 7; Dana Thomas, seven 9s two 8s and a 7; and Joe Rudling, seven 9s and two 8s.

At Yavneh College, more than two out of five grades - 41 per cent - were at 7 or above. Executive headteacher Spencer Lewis praised students who had “again done so well in the GCSEs. They worked really hard and after so much disruption to their education, they can be really proud.”

At Yavneh, 23 per cent of grades were 8 or 9; and 77 per cent, 5 or above.

Frontrunners at the Hertfordshire school were Asher Friedman with nine 9s and an 8; Eden Jacobson,  eight 9s and two 8s; Jonah Hack, seven 9s and two 8s; and Nathan D Cohen and Natana Sabel, each with seven 9s and one eight.

Mr Lewis said that students who had taken vocational courses in business studies, PE and travel and tourism had also done “amazingly well”. More than half of exams, 54 per cent, at the Hasmonean High Schools were passed at top grades 9 to 7.

More than half of exams, 54 per cent, at the Hasmonean High School for Girls were passed at top grades 9 to 7.

Katherine Brice, head of Hasmonean Girls, said, “Our students have achieved well, despite the fact that they have experienced a number of challenging and unprecedented years due to the pandemic. We know that in future years the whole community will benefit from their success.”

Gili Blass, who achieved ten 9s and one 8 this year alongside a 9 gained previously, said: “I’m so grateful to the school for the help it provided throughout the years. My caring teachers did their utmost to help us succeed and fulfil our potential.”

Sara Leah Green, who achieved ten 9s and one 8, expressed gratitude “not only for the amazing and caring secular studies teachers but also for the wonderful and inspirational Jewish studies teachers.

Hasmonean Boys did not match the girls but still performed well with 45 per cent of exams earning the top three grades.

Yoni Silverman, who bagged 11 grade 9s, thanked staff for “helping me achieve these fantastic grades. The hard work has paid off and I look forward to staying at Hasmonean for my A-levels.”

According to Ofqual, only 125 students in England achieved 11 or more 9s in all subjects.

Josh Isaac-Saul, who picked up ten 9s and a 7, said, “I believe Hasmonean epitomises the perfect balance between secular education, Kodesh and an exceptional social environment.”

Outstanding performances at King David High School Liverpool included Joseph Gould with eight 9s and two 8s and Roman Jones with eight 9s.

Twenty-five per cent of students attained top grades in English and maths — a two per cent increase on the pre-pandemic figure.

Headteacher Michael Sutton said, “We are delighted so many of our students achieved the top grades. This is a true testament to their hard work and resilience. We are looking forward to watching their future success in our sixth form.”

Nearly 80 per cent of King Solomon High School results were at pass grade 4 or above (above the national average of 67.8 per cent), with art, design and technology, geography, food technology, music, sociology and Spanish doing well this year. 

Outgoing head Hannele Reece said she was proud of all of her students “and pleased to see so many of them staying on in the sixth form where I know they will achieve in the next phase of their education.  Once again KS students have performed well gaining a positive progress 8 score [which measures academic development from entry to GCSE] every year since the measure was introduced.”

At King David High School Manchester, more than a third, 34.4 per cent, of exams were passed at grades 9 to 7 and 22.5 per cent at 9 to 8. Around 72 per cent of passes were at 9 to 5.

Headteacher John Dalziel said, “The results represent the culmination of a team effort with the pupil at the centre, supported by an expert and experienced group of teachers and support staff who have helped prepare them for their exams.”