“Our students just needed a lot of love”

Students across Hackney returned to their schools today to collect their GCSE results, and figure out what they will do next.

Myah couldn’t stop the tears of joy seeing her results. She will continue her studies in Health and Social Care, and she’s hoping to become a midwife. She said: “I am so proud of myself and my achievements. I never gave up. I trusted myself, I revised, I worked hard, and that’s what matters.” 

Her advice to others that will be starting their Year 11 is “Trust yourself, and remember that grades don’t define you. You might get a low grade in your mock exams and then get much better results in the actual GCSEs if you work hard.”

The majority of the students who took their GCSEs this year were in Year 6 during the first Covid lockdown, with their Year 7 further disrupted. 

Adam Hall, Executive Headteacher at Cardinal Pole Catholic School, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that our progress puts us in the top 25 percent nationally. Our students have worked tirelessly, put so much effort and showed so much resilience. Our staff and our parents have been outstanding in supporting them, and helped them get where we are today.”

Angel said: “I am so proud, I got 7 in a subject that I thought I was going to fail - it ended up being one of my highest grades”. She learned from her last year’s journey to find the drive within herself: “No one can push you - it’s only yourself. It’s all about your discipline.”

David Wilson, Head of Year 11 at Cardinal Pole, said: “I feel really proud of them. Our students live and study in the middle of Hackney, in a very, very socially deprived area, and are engaged in so many things outside of school that they don't necessarily have the determination and the motivation to learn. And those are the ones who we are celebrating today, those that once upon a time were looking at their target grades and didn’t think they could achieve them. But this year they’ve come in, they’ve opened their envelopes, and they’re seeing their grades, and they’re starting to realise ‘I can do this’. And a lot of them are leaving here now able to enrol into colleges that they never thought they’d be able to enrol into.” 

Manuella’s proudest achievement was her grade 7 in Maths, which allows her to follow her passion for science. She will continue her studies in Biology, Psychology and Maths, the next step towards pursuing a career in STEM. She said: “Just revise and try to do your best, especially if you feel like you’re not doing as good as you can. Don’t dwell too much on your exams, remember it’s not only one paper - even if you don’t do too well on your first, you can always do better on your next one.”

Allam was happy he passed his GCSEs, and getting ready to do a course at college to become an electrician. His advice to students that will be starting year 11 in September is: “Just revise. Revise for at least four months and for your exams and you’ll be good.”

Anna Feltham, Headteacher at Clapton Girls’ Academy, said: “Our students have done brilliantly. We’ve seen students who showed resilience and stayed committed to making those small improvements that made such a difference in the long term”. 

Her resilience is what Zeina is most proud of, as she beams with happiness after seeing her results. “I kept going. It was very gruelling, but I am just happy that I kept going. All my teachers were really amazing, everyone was very supportive.” 

Natalie will continue her studies in Biology, Psychology and Geography, as she hoped. “I am proud of myself - I worked hard for this.” Her advice to incoming year 11s is “Just try as hard as you can. At the end of the day, it will be okay.”

David Wilson said: “Our students just needed a lot of love, and to be shown that with a lot of determination, a lot of hard work, they’ll get the results that they deserve. Today is a result of everything they’ve put in.”

GCSE outcomes in Hackney are similar to those reported in 2024, above those reported in 2019. On results day outcomes show 70% of Hackney's 16 year olds gained a standard pass in GCSE and English, and 49% gained a strong pass, above last year's national averages.

The Adult Learning team have reported 100% success in GCSE pass rates.

Hackney’s students with additional special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) continue to achieve great outcomes. The results published by the Department for Education  for 2024 show Hackney students with SEND outperformed their national peers. 46% of pupils receiving SEND support achieved a standard pass in GCSE English and maths, above the 38% figure for England. For pupils with Education, Health and Care plans the respective figures are 19% and 13% . Last year, 31% of pupils receiving additional support  achieved a strong pass in GCSE English and maths, compared with 22% in England;  for pupils with EHC plans, the respective figures are 13% and 7%.

“Congratulations to all of our young people for their GCSE results - we could not be more proud of your achievements! 

“Take this time to celebrate not just your grades, but everything you have achieved so far. 

“Wherever your journey takes you next, stay true to yourselves and follow your dreams and aspirations. Our teams, our schools and our partners are all here to help you through your next steps, whatever your results.”

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Deputy Mayor of Hackney and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Young People, and Cllr Anya Sizer, Deputy Cabinet Member for Families, Early Years and SEND

Support is available for those that didn’t receive the grades they hoped for. Young people unsure about their next steps can drop in at one of Hackney’s youth hubs, or get in touch with Hackney Works to find more education, training and employment opportunities, work placements, or an apprenticeship with a local business. 

Hackney residents aged 19 and over that are looking for adult learning classes for 2025-2026 can visit the Hackney Adult Learning page to explore a range of free options available as early as September.