Warden Park Secondary Academy GCSE results: head teacher proud of tenacious and hardworking students

The school in Cuckfield said there had been ‘downward pressure’ on grades caused by the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, which brought grade distributions for 2023 back in line with those of 2019.

But Warden Park said the students’ tenacity and resilience had underpinned their achievement.

Headteacher Dom Kenrick said: “The experience that this cohort has had during their secondary education has been uniquely challenging and they have coped admirably.”

He said GCSE success plays ‘a key role in validating each individual student’s learning journey’.

Mr Kenrick continued: “For each student this learning journey will be a personal one and therefore success in GCSE examinations will be a personal one too. For some students, this will be the achievement of GCSE grades 3 or 4 while for others it will be the achievement of grades 8 or 9. The pride I feel today for my students is not dependent on the grades they have achieved but on the hard work they have put in and the progress they have made.”

Mr Kenrick said education should be about helping students recognise their capabilities and find their passions.

He said: “Striving through difficulty and finding the resilience to emerge and to flourish are therefore overriding outcomes of the education process and never more obviously a part of the GCSE results day celebrations than in this year. I am indebted to my staff for their efforts and delighted that our students have once again ensured that at Warden Park we achieve the Best from All.”