News 20th August 2026
Celebrating GCSE Results
Year 11 students across our family of schools are celebrating today after receiving their GCSE results. Well done to all our students, this is the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication and we are proud of all of them today.
Sturminster Newton High School
Students, families, staff and the entire community at Sturminster Newton High School are celebrating today as Year 11 students receive their GCSE and vocational results, marking the end of an important chapter in their secondary school journey.
For those collecting their results, today brings the reward for five years of hard work, challenge and growth. While Results Day is a moment to celebrate grades and qualifications, it is also a chance to reflect on how far these young people have come, both as students and individuals.
Among those celebrating outstanding success are Erin, with an outstanding full set of 9 x Grade 9s, Rebecca, Honey, Sasvidu and Tristan who amongst them achieved some of the highest grades within the school.
The school is also particularly proud of students who have made exceptional progress during their time at SNHS. Excellent progress was achieved by Lola, Mykyta, Lily, Valentin and Maisie and we are thrilled to celebrate their progress made.
There have also been strong outcomes across a number of subject areas, with particularly positive results in French, Drama, Maths and Science, . These achievements reflect the commitment of students alongside the expertise, encouragement and support provided by teachers and support staff throughout their secondary education.
The Gryphon School
The Gryphon School is delighted to celebrate the achievements of its Year 11 students following a strong set of GCSE results. The outcomes reflect the school’s commitment to high achievement, inclusion and a broad and balanced curriculum that provides every student with the opportunity to succeed.
The school is particularly pleased with the performance of students in the key subjects of English and Mathematics. The proportion of students achieving grades 9–4 in both English and Mathematics has increased significantly over the last two years. We know how important this benchmark is for students as they go onto their post-16 education and qualifications.
The school is particularly proud of the achievements of students who received additional support and intervention during their GCSE studies. Among disadvantaged students, the proportion achieving grades 9–5 in both English and Mathematics increased significantly. These outcomes are a testament to the hard work and determination of the students themselves, alongside the expertise and dedication of the teachers and support staff who worked with them.
Success was not confined to English and Mathematics. Students achieved strongly across the full breadth of The Gryphon’s curriculum, demonstrating the range of talents within the Year 11 cohort and the opportunities available to them.
The results also demonstrate the strength of The Gryphon’s creative, vocational and academic curriculum. Strong progress in subjects such as Drama, Catering, Film Studies and Fine Art sits alongside excellent outcomes in subjects including History, Business Studies, Spanish and French.
The school also celebrated strong outcomes across the STEM curriculum. Biology, Chemistry and Physics all achieved very high average grades, demonstrating the high level of attainment achieved by students studying the separate sciences. Combined Science also delivered positive progress, further reinforcing the school’s commitment to excellence across the sciences.
Shaftesbury School
Students and staff at Shaftesbury School are celebrating a range of successes following the publication of this year’s GCSE results, with improvements in key areas alongside some exceptional individual and subject achievements.
There was success in English, where 71.3% of students achieved a grade 4 or above – a significant increase on last year. More than half of students achieved a strong pass at grade 5 or above in English.
The school also saw an improvement in the proportion of students securing a standard pass in both English and Maths.
Within a relatively small Year 11 cohort of 128 students, pupils secured 89 grades at 7–9, including 13 grade 9s – the highest grade available at GCSE. Those top grade 9s were achieved across an impressive breadth of the curriculum, including Fine Art, Drama, English, Film Studies, Mathematics, PE, Design & Technology and Religious Education.
Our Drama students achieved a particularly impressive set of top-end results, with five grade 9s. Fine Art, History, Spanish and Religious Education students made particularly strong progress against their individual target grades.
Harbour Vale School
Harbour Vale School is delighted to celebrate the achievements of its Year 11 students following this summer’s GCSE and vocational qualification results.
With a record number of students entered for examinations, the results reflect the hard work, dedication and perseverance shown by our young people throughout their time at Harbour Vale School. We are immensely proud of the Class of 2026, who have demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination in overcoming challenges and achieving positive outcomes.
This year’s cohort faced significant barriers to education, including prior low attendance rates and a high proportion of students eligible for Pupil Premium and Free School Meals support. Despite these challenges, students achieved success across a wide range of qualifications, demonstrating both their commitment to learning and the effectiveness of the support provided by staff and families.
An impressive 100% of students achieved GCSE qualifications in both English, Mathematics and a Science, while 73% achieved 5 or more Level 1 qualifications. Students also celebrated success in vocational learning, including Distinction grades in Child Development BTEC qualifications.
Our Pathways programme also celebrated success with 92% of students achieving English and Maths GCSEs. As part of our comprehensive Careers Programme, every student has had access to personalised guidance and support from a qualified Level 6 Careers Adviser. Throughout the year, students have visited colleges, explored career pathways, completed applications, attended interviews and successfully secured appropriate post-16 destinations.
Students will continue their educational journeys at a range of further education providers, including Weymouth College, Bournemouth and Poole College, Yeovil College and Kingston Maurward College. Harbour Vale School will continue to provide transition support throughout September to ensure students feel confident and well-supported as they begin the next phase of their education and training.
King Arthur’s School
King Arthur’s School is pleased to celebrate the achievements of its Year 11 students following the publication of the 2026 GCSE results.
Students have achieved some fantastic individual results, alongside further improvements at the higher grades. The proportion of subjects achieving a Grade 5 or above in both English and Maths increased again this year, while the number of students achieving Grade 7 or above in both subjects more than doubled.
There was particular success at the highest grades in English, with the proportion of students achieving Grade 7 or above increasing to 14.3%. Higher grade outcomes also increased in Maths, with some exceptional individual performances across the year group as well as in Further Maths.
Holly Louise achieved Grade 7 or above in eight subjects, while Pheobie achieved Grade 7 or above in five subjects, including a Grade 9 in English Literature. Tegan and Toren also achieved Grade 7 or above in five subjects.
Other outstanding performers include Phoebe, Mollie, Leon, Adriana and Harry.
We are also very proud of those students who made exceptional progress against their baselines including Louis, George, Amelia, Phoebe, Gilly and Ben, who all made particularly strong progress during their time at King Arthur’s.
A number of year 10 students also sat GCSE examinations in Statistics and Polish a year early, achieving some excellent results.
Our students now move on to an exciting range of next steps and we look forward to hearing about everything they go on to achieve. Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We wish every one of our students the very best for the future.
