The head teacher of a school grieving over the deaths of two of its students and a third teenager says pupils have done exceptionally well in their exams despite the circumstances.
Head teacher of Archbishop Sancroft School in Harleston, Richard Cranmer says 'the tragic loss' of the youngsters at Easter time meant the school faced significant difficulties during the exam preparation time.
And yet this has been a record breaking year for The Church of England School in terms of GCSE results with 65pc of pupils getting grade 4 or above in English and Maths in the new styled exams.
That is the equivalent of 65pc of A* - C grades in Maths and English under the old system.
Head teacher Richard Cranmer said: 'I'm over the moon with the results particularly because of the personal challenges this cohort has faced this year.
'The school community has faced significant difficulty following the tragic loss of three young people in the area.
'It happened at Easter – a key preparation time for the exams that presented me with a moral challenge.
'We wanted to support young people through their grieving but we also wanted to ensure they went on to achieve the academic success they deserved.
'As a school we have always said we would deal with the person and their individual needs before the focus on academic outcomes.
'For this to be a record breaking year after all the youngsters have been through gives me joy as it could have so easily been different.'
Deputy head teacher, Robert Connelly added: 'The specifications of the new exams means they are more challenging.
'When I consider the number of students who have achieved good passes or above I am delighted with the improvements and successes.'
Student Timothy Greenard who got 10 A*s and 2As said: 'I worked hard – I made my own timetable and just got on with it. I was shocked at the results, especially Maths.'
Diss High School were also celebrating with 71% of students achieving a grade 4 and above in both English and Maths. And 79 pc of Stadbroke High School pupils gained grade 4 and above in Maths and English - a 20pc increase from last year.
At Hartismere School in Eye 77pc of students gained grades between 4 and 9 in English and Maths. And pupils at Long Stratton High School celebrated an increase of 13pc from last year with 66pc gaining grade 4 or above.
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