Students at Penarth school, Westbourne, are celebrating after achieving a sweep of outstanding results in their GCSE examinations, with A*-B results 61% A*, 85% A*/A, 92% A*-B.

The excellent grades, which also include the entire Additional Maths cohort achieving a Distinction, reflect two years of commitment and drive from the talented Penarth pupils, who have also benefited from the school's pioneering global vision, promoting academic excellence worldwide.

Westbourne students have an unprecedented opportunity to share knowledge and learnings globally thanks to the school's growing international network of academically elite colleges, including Westbourne College Sydney (1st in Australia for the highest proportion of 44+ IBDP Point grades), and Westbourne College Singapore, which opened its doors this month and offers IB Diploma and IGCSE programmes.

Students collaborate across continents, taking part in virtual workshops, lectures and exchange trips, building a network of like-minded peers spanning the UK to Australia. As well as sharing learnings, they are encouraged to develop global mindedness and key attributes to succeed in the fields of business, entrepreneurship and STEM.

Jack (16) told us: "The best thing about being a student at Westbourne is being able to meet and interact with so many new people from many different places around the world and be able to learn from them and work alongside them to get better grades. It's like being part of a family. You always have people to help you - the faculty and the teachers and also friends and students."

Yong (16), who started his Westbourne journey in Year 7, said: "My Westbourne experience included lots of fun classes with my friends and many interesting topics taught by teachers. Five years of commitment brought me millions of memories. Westbourne is not just a school that provided me an education. But also a place that provided me a chapter of my life that I never wanted to end."

Kaila (16) agreed: "Westbourne is there to not only educate pupils, but also give us fun experiences that we will remember for years to come. From lessons to exams, from special events to residentials, every aspect of Westbourne has been fun and engaging. 

"Our teachers have been so supportive and encouraging in every subject and aspect of school life. This encouragement has helped me to improve my grades and develop an excitement to learn different subjects. The teachers are always there to support you in everything you do. Whether it's recapping a certain topic, extra help in anything needed, or even emotional support to improve your self esteem and confidence."

Westbourne has a leading reputation for a personalised approach to learning, with smaller class sizes, one-to-one attention from teachers, and bespoke learning plans to engage students with the curriculum on an individual level.

Mrs Jodi Barber, GCSE Coordinator, said today: "We're so delighted with yet another year of phenomenal results - encapsulating all the hard work and incredible commitment of our brilliant students. As the school continues to evolve globally, with the development of our exciting international network for students to exchange knowledge and learnings worldwide, we remain committed to the individual. Smaller class sizes ensure every single pupil is mentored and guided on an individual basis, according to their own strengths, which provides them with the confidence to surpass their expectations. I think we've seen the fruits of this today." 

Ella (16) came from another local school to join Westbourne for her GCSEs. She said: "At first it was a challenge coming from a state primary school to a much higher achieving school where I didn't know a lot of the basic stuff, which I needed to know. But once I'd been here for a while, I started to pick up on those things and then more. For the last few months, there was a lot of time to revise and we all understood what we needed to do. The school has really good resources to help you revise."

The GCSE results follow a string of recent accolades for Westbourne, including winning the Global EdTech Award 2023 for an innovative use of technology, as well as being shortlisted for two TES Schools Awards in 2023: Headteacher of the Year and Best Use of Technology next to Eton College and Wellington College. 

In July, excellent results in the IB Diploma - increasingly favoured by admissions tutors at top universities worldwide - saw Westbourne Sixth Form students gain offers from the highest ranking universities including King's, UCL, LSE and a number of universities in the US.