PUPILS at Robert Gordon’s College are celebrating after another year of outstanding exam results, reinforcing the school’s strong academic traditions.
Fifty-one S5 pupils achieved five or more straight A passes at Higher, across 34 different subjects, and a further 21 achieved four As and a B.
Over the past three years 156 Gordon’s pupils have achieved top grades in all five Highers in S5.
This session more than 130 of the 180 pupils achieved five Highers, with a record-breaking average of 4.6 Highers per pupil across the S5 year group.
In addition, 67 pupils in Fourth year achieved eight straight A passes in Intermediate 2 and National 5 examinations, with 72 per cent A passes overall.
This was the first sitting of the new National 5 examinations and candidates did extremely well with 89 per cent of all grades being either at A or B. Gordon’s remains committed to offering a broad base of subjects at S4 and pupils take eight subjects making this high level success all the more significant.
Andrew Webb (S4) gained A grades in all eight of his National 5 and Intermediate 2 examinations, alongside his selection for the U18 Scottish Hockey team making this an exceptional year for him.
Simon Mills, newly-arrived head of College, said: “These impressive examination results reflect the talent and unstinting effort from both pupils and staff, who have worked so well together to achieve them.
“The availability and strong uptake of STEM subjects is unrivalled and we are extremely proud to be developing our new Science and Technology Centre, which will be the UK’s largest school teaching facility of its kind.”
Opening later this year with an investment of £12 million, the new Science and Technology Centre will incorporate 34 laboratories and workshops.
It will open alongside The Craig Centre for Performing Arts, which will enable pupils and the community to benefit from a modern performance and digital recording venue in the heart of Aberdeen.
An impressive 445 S4 to S6 pupils studied STEM subjects this year and 79 per cent of S5 pupils studied three or more STEM subjects at Higher.
The excellent SQA examination results enabled a high level of success from the S6 candidates applying for university entry to a very wide variety of courses and institutions.
There was Oxbridge success for Gemma Shaw who prepares to read Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University, and for Sarah Simpson who will study Spanish and Linguistics at Oxford University, both having achieved three A grades at Advanced Higher in their required subjects.
Simon Mills observed: “A hallmark of a Robert Gordon’s education is the capacity of young people to be able to produce top quality academic results alongside their wide ranging involvement in sport, drama, music, leadership roles and outdoor activities.
“This is very much the type of educational outcome that is close to my own heart and it is encouraging to see so many senior pupils achieving so much across a wide field of endeavour.”
Both school captains, Mirrhyn Stephen and Benjamin Osugo, have gained their five A grades at Higher alongside very strong involvement in key areas of school life.
Mirrhyn has been enthusiastically involved in music, whilst Benjamin has greatly enjoyed acting in drama productions and playing rugby for the college.
Among those who achieved five Highers at A grade were four pupils who were involved in a pioneering international student convention in Australia during July, participating in the newly formed Global Alliance of International Learning (GAIL).
Simon Mills said: “Robert Gordon’s seeks to provide a World Class education with global involvement and awareness. The first-class work of our teachers and the exposure to teaching and learning that is inspired from the best available international educational practice has helped our pupils to achieve their top-quality Higher results.”
Also in July a group of 16 Gordon’s pupils were on expedition in Belize on a journey which focused on working in the community, adventurous training and leadership development.
Nine of this group also gained their five A passes at Higher. Expedition leader and deputy head, Colin Gambles, explained: “Involvement in the wider aims and challenging demands of an international expedition is a very testing experience and adds significantly to the strong academic progress that all of the pupils have made this year.”
Simon Mills concluded: “It is excellent to see the very hard work and strong endeavour by all the pupils from S4 to S6 rewarded with results that reflect their effort.
“We are delighted to see the strong progress being made by all of our pupils. They have much to be proud of and we will continue to focus on best quality teaching and learning as we start our new academic year shortly.”
ENDS
Media contact:
Holly McLennan, Fifth Ring Integrated Corporate Communications, 01224 628069 holly.mclennan@fifthring.com
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Contact: Shelley Lee
Email: pr@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
