HEAD teacher Kieran Kelly has expressed his delight at the performance of his students at GCSE level in this year’s examinations.

Some 79.2 per cent of GCSE students at St Nicholas Catholic High School gained the key Government benchmark figure of five A* to C grades, including English and maths.

Overall, 88 per cent of students gained five A* to Cs, with 66 (33.5 per cent) gaining five A* to As, and 33 students (17 per cent) achieved eight A* to As.

“All this represents a phenomenal achievement in the current climate, in which there has been an incredibly close scrutiny on GCSE grades, and especially those at the highest level,” said Mr Kelly.

“There is no doubt that students perform so fantastically well at our school because they respond so well to the outstanding care, guidance and support they receive from the extremely hard-working and dedicated teachers and support staff, along with all the encouragement which they receive from home.

“It is the relationship between all members of the school community which guarantees that the challenges laid down by the very high expectations that the school demands are met by these young people.

“Many of these young people will now embark on A Level courses in the school.”

Mr Kelly said that there were still some spaces available in the sixth form, and anyone students wishing to join should contact the school as a matter of urgency.