Arbor School Achieves Record GCSE Results as Top Grades Soar
Date Posted:Thu, 20th Aug 2026
Top grades rise significantly as 60% of I/GCSE entries achieve grades 9-7 and almost one in four is awarded the highest possible Grade 9.

Arbor School has recorded its strongest GCSE results to date, with a significant increase in the proportion of top grades awarded and exceptional performances across a broad range of subjects.
Across 283 I/GCSE entries, 23% of all grades were awarded at Grade 9 - more than three times the proportion achieved last year. A total of 41% of entries achieved grades 9-8, almost double the previous year, while 60% achieved grades 9-7, representing an increase of 14 percentage points.
Overall, 98% achieved a grade 9-4 pass rate, with students achieving particularly strong results across STEM subjects. In Mathematics, 76% were awarded 9-7, while 84% of Science grades achieved 9-6. 100% of grades in Chemistry, Physics and Further Mathematics were awarded at 9-7, alongside 86% in Computer Science.
Languages also produced exceptional results, with 100% of Spanish grades and 86% of French grades awarded at 9-8.
Psychology recorded another standout performance, with 100% of grades at 9-8 and 78% achieving Grade 9. In Economics, 75% of grades were awarded at 9–7, while 50% of Geography students achieved Grade 9.
Students following Arbor's BTEC Level 2 Engineering pathway also achieved exceptional results, with 100% of entries awarded Distinction*.
Among the individual achievements celebrated on Results Day, Ojas Jha achieved seven Grade 9s and two Grade 8s, and said: “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved at Arbor. I completed five of my GCSEs a year early, and the remaining four this year. I plan to make the same advanced progress in my A Levels at Arbor, aiming to finish some early.”
Loki Taumoepeau, an Arbor Scholar, who achieved five Grade 9s, three Grade 8s and one Distinction*, said: “I’m really happy with my results and am particularly proud of my Grade 9 in French. I look forward to progressing on to Sixth Form at Arbor this year, to study Maths, English Literature and French.”
Principal Gemma Thornley said:
“We are incredibly proud of our students and these outstanding GCSE results. They reflect the hard work of our young people and the dedication of the teachers who have supported them.
“For us, what makes these results particularly important is that they demonstrate that academic excellence does not have to come at the expense of a broader education. Our students achieve highly while also developing a strong ecological and ethical compass and a real sense of their place and responsibility in the world. That balance is fundamental to the education we believe in, and these results are a wonderful reflection of it.”
Thomas Moriarty, Head of Secondary, added:
“These are exceptional results and a real reflection of the ambition, hard work and commitment of our students and staff. To see 60% of all GCSE grades awarded at 9-7, alongside such outstanding outcomes across so many individual subjects, is something we are incredibly proud of.
“Most importantly, these results give our students a fantastic platform for the next stage of their education, and we could not be prouder of them.”
For many of Arbor's Year 11 students, Results Day marks the next stage of their journey at Arbor as they prepare to enter Sixth Form and begin A Level and BTEC pathways. Students are also supported through the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and Arbor's personalised Futures Programme, which provides university and careers guidance as they consider their longer-term pathways.
The GCSE results follow Arbor School's first A Level results, announced last week, when 48% of entries achieved A*-A, 80% achieved A*-B and students recorded a 100% pass rate.
Together, the results represent an important milestone for Arbor's growing Secondary School and Sixth Form and demonstrate the academic outcomes being achieved alongside the school's distinctive approach to education.
