Congratulations to all of our students today. It has been lovely to welcome back so many of our students this morning to DHSB and it has been great for our staff to be here to celebrate with them and support them with their next steps.

We all know how hard it’s been at times, but also how hard our students have worked and we are all extremely proud of what you have achieved.

Families and staff were on hand to offer congratulations and support

As our students receive their results today, we know that you may have questions often resulting from the conflicting news reports and articles about what may happen.

We have always known that this year was a ‘transition year’ between 2021 (when the assessment was done directly by schools) and 2019 (the last year exams took place). This means that overall grades will be about halfway between the two nationally.

It does not mean that marking was harsher – the marking was done by exam boards in the usual way. Instead, it means that when setting the grade boundaries, exam boards have been more generous than in a normal year, to bring grades closer to 2021 levels.

This is also unaffected by any of DHSB’s historical data, including what our students got last year. Marking and grading are done at a national level, with all students across the country being treated the same way.

It is incredibly important that we take a moment to celebrate and acknowledge the tremendous achievements of all our young people. Considering the disruptions and challenges that they have faced over the last couple of years they have worked extremely hard and demonstrated great determination and commitment to their studies. They deserve the highest recognition and rewards in progression to their next steps.

I would like to convey my sincerest thanks to all the staff who have worked tirelessly over the years to support our students, especially during Covid-19 in the last two years.

I would also like to convey my sincerest thanks to our parents and carers who have provided fantastic support to their children over the years and in particular have had to guide them through a extremely challenging time, together with the brilliant efforts of our young people they are celebrating an excellent set of results and most importantly are progressing to their next exciting adventures.

Student Message

We are all extremely proud of what you have achieved. Remember that you are more than a grade. The resilience you have shown under such conditions is remarkable. You are all exceptional, inspiring and talented young people, and we couldn’t be prouder of you.

Our staff are here on site today spending the rest of the day with our students to finalise their next steps by enrolling them to our sixth form, finalising apprenticeships or other courses in further education. If you have any questions or are unsure about anything then please, we are on hand to support you.

We wish all our Year 11 students every success with their next steps and we look forward to welcoming many of them back in September.

Good luck!