Private School News

2008 – The Year of the Scientist!

Students at The Princess Helena College have again excelled in their GCSE examinations. For the third year running, Science results have been outstanding; all girls studying the individual science subjects were awarded an A* – B grade.

The School is particularly pleased that pupils excelled in a wide range of traditional and so-called ‘modern’ subjects. This is very much a reflection of the College’s ethos of offering a flexible approach to education, tailoring the curriculum and extracurricular activities to enable each girl to develop her talents and to succeed.

On the one hand, Science at PHC is continuing to grow in strength and in each successive year since the Science Centre was built, the results have excelled. There was a 100% pass rate A*-A grade in Chemistry, 100% pass rate A*-B in Biology & Physics. At the same time, girls studying Sport Science were all awarded A*- B grades and we were delighted that pupils taking our newest GCSE, Dance, were all awarded B grades.

Deputy Head, Camilla Wilson, believes that “where possible, girls should be given the opportunity to study subjects they enjoy and for which they have a particular aptitude. It is fantastic that girls have got A*s in such a wide variety of subjects including Latin, Sport Science, History and Business Studies. We are constantly looking to improve our curriculum, ensuring it suits the needs of each year group and we now offer over 20 different subjects.”

Overall Summary
• For the fifth year running nearly half of all GCSE’s taken were awarded an A* or A grade.
• For the second year, three quarters of all GCSE’s taken were passed at A* to B grade.
• We are delighted with all the girls’ results from those who got a string of A*s and As – including Julia Bevan, Isabelle Milton and Rachel Prosser – to those who got a mix of As, Bs and Cs – all of whom maximized their potential.
• For an impressive third year running there was a 100% pass rate A*-A grade in Chemistry and 100% pass rate A*-B in Biology & Physics.
• 100% pass rate A*-B in Religious Studies, Latin and Dance.
• 80% of all girls who took Music GCSE were awarded an A Grade.
• For the second year there was a 100% pass rate A*-B in Sports Science
• 100% pass rate A*-C in French, German, History & Business Studies.