Team effort pays off at Longdendale

EFFORTS of staff to help pupils through the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption it brought to their education resulted in great grades at Longdendale High School.

And the dedication of those working towards their GCSEs has not gone unnoticed by headteacher Andrea Jones.

The Hollingworth-based establishment has found its Year 11 in a state of flux for more than a year.

Students pictured with headteacher, Andrea Jones

But the efforts, coupled with no shortage of skill, plus the support on hand guided pupils through.

Andrea said: “With the support of a dedicated team of staff, and alongside the students’ own talent, hard work and commitment, the students have achieved these well-deserved grades.

“Our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students have continued to be provided with the highest quality learning experiences alongside high levels of care, guidance and support in the most difficult of circumstances.

“It has been a fantastic, and in recent times an unexpected, five-year journey with a group of amazing young people, who richly deserve every single grade awarded and who have much to be proud of.

“We are delighted to see our collective efforts rewarded.”

The way grades were decided may have been very different, with results awarded through a robust and rigorous process of teacher assessed grades set against national standards, but that does not mean there were any less nerves.

And Andrea saluted the way those getting their results had gone about their work.

She added: “We are extremely proud of the achievements of our students receiving their grades.

“This year group has been the hardest hit throughout the Covid-19 pandemic having experienced an interrupted education since March 2020.

“This group of students demonstrated huge levels of resilience and adapted successfully to new methods of teaching and learning, the challenge of online learning and successfully navigated periods of self-isolation, illness and uncertainty.

“We are delighted that the majority of our students are now pursuing their chosen pathways into further education at sixth form colleges, with several having secured some fantastic work-based apprenticeships.”