Wells Cathedral School pupils are celebrating after their hard work and resilience has ensured they have achieved a very strong set of GCSE results.

Their achievement is all the greater after two years of study full of unprecedented challenges, two extended periods of remote learning and considerable uncertainty.

Head master Alastair Tighe said: "The school is delighted with the successes achieved by all our pupils.

"They have collectively secured fantastic grades, and we could not be more delighted for this cohort who have so successfully overcome the challenges that the last 18 months have thrown at them.

"They have all shown a great deal of tenacity and resilience, and together with their teachers' unwavering support and sheer hard work, they all deserve to be thoroughly proud of what they have achieved."

Eleven Wells pupils achieved five or more Grade 9s, including Grace Adams, Elsie Carter, Justin Chan, Kenneth Greenshields, Freya Hyde, Alexei James-Cudworth, Sophie Karseras, Madison Lewis, Isabelle Salmon-Harris and Ethan Turnbull. Constance Davies achieved a very impressive set of ten Grade 9s.

Wells pupils performed well across the board, but there was particular success in the three Sciences, with 45 per cent of pupils awarded the top grade in Biology and Chemistry and half the cohort awarded the top grade in Physics.

Forty per cent of pupils achieved a Grade 9 in Computing and two thirds of the large cohort achieved a Grade 8 or 9 in Music.

Seven Year 11 mathematicians who are part of the school's Specialist Maths Scheme

sat their IGCSE Mathematics exams half a year early, in early January, despite the national lockdown, and were all awarded Grade 9s.

Many of this year's cohort studied for their GCSEs while juggling musical commitments as part of the school's Specialist Music Programme.

Despite the limitations of Covid, pupils have also been actively involved in high level sports programmes, including England Hockey Development and Team Bath Academy, while many have taken part in Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and Combined Cadet Force activities.

Mr Tighe said: "It is always heartening to see our pupils performing so well academically alongside their very many other non-academic activities.

"Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of their teachers, as well as the committed engagement of pupils in both online and onsite learning, I am so pleased that we have together been able to thrive despite the challenges of the pandemic and can rightly celebrate the fortitude and success of the whole school community."