THE CHEERS could be heard 2,000 miles away when Isabelle Kilby opened her GCSE results at Bishop Barrington Academy in Bishop Auckland.
Isabelle’s dad, Michael, is serving with The Army on a six-month tour of Estonia and his daughter told him by a video call that she’d achieved three Grade 9s amid an excellent set of results.
“He was so, so proud – we could hear all the lads cheering in the background out in Estonia,” said Isabelle’s mum, Nicola.
Due to her dad serving in the military, Isabel has had to cope with moving around different schools and only came to Bishop Barrington Academy two years ago.
Despite those challenges, she emerged as one of the top achievers, thanks to her hard work and the support of the school, which is part of the Advance Learning Partnership.
Isabelle is among the generation of pupils who had to transition from primary school to secondary education during the Covid 19 pandemic, and she has been inspired to study biochemistry with an ambition to work in a humanitarian profession.
High achievers (front row left to right): Isabelle Kilby, Jess Talbot-Landon, Emily Nemeth, Natalie Burrell, Mia Hennessy, and Carla Shaw. Back row: Freddie Roe, Aaron Littlefair, and Kaden Wakeling (Image: Peter Barron) Her uncle works for AstraZeneca, one of the manufacturers of the Covid vaccine, and she now hopes to work in a field that enables her to help others.
“I’m looking at epidemiology and the development of the vaccine was a factor in my thinking. It helped form my ambitions to want to do something that helps others,” said Isabelle, who will now study at Durham Sixth Form College.
Her mum added: “Isabelle has had to cope with moving around a number of schools and her commitment through all of that, as well as the pandemic, has been amazing.”
Jess Talbot-Landon was also among the Bishop Barrington high achievers and her ambition is work in emergency medicine after she also goes on to study for her A-levels at Durham Sixth Form.
Kaden Wakeling was also celebrating excellent results, and his next step will be to study A-levels at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington. He wants to be a graphic designer.
Head Teacher Colin Smith said: “We are delighted with the achievements of our students. Their hard work and determination have truly paid off, and we are excited to see them take the next steps in their educational journey. We also extend our gratitude to our staff and parents for their invaluable support throughout the year.”
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A statement on behalf of the school added: “Bishop Barrington Academy is proud to announce another year of excellent achievements as students receive their GCSE results.
“These results reflect the dedication and resilience of our students, the unwavering support of their families, and the commitment of our exceptional teaching staff.
“This year’s outcomes highlight the continued progress of the academy is making year on year, reinforcing our mission to open doors to the future, with almost ten per cent of the qualifications achieved being a Grade 7 or above.”
Kelvin Simpson, CEO of the Advance Learning Partnership, added: “We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding results achieved by our secondary pupils, following the tremendous success of our primary pupils in July.
“These achievements are a testament to the dedication and hard work of both our pupils and staff. We take immense pride in seeing our pupil’s academic accomplishments open doors to bright futures and wish them every success in their next steps.”