The head girl and head boy at Shirebrook Academy led the way with a string of high marks as the school ended arguably the most unusual academic year on record with improved GCSE results.

Head girl Angel Robinson and head boy Ben Madeley (above) were among a host of stand-out performers at the school, on Common Lane, which opened its doors to students this morning with a host of social distancing measures in place.

Each student was allocated a 10-minute slot to collect their results, with Angel, 16, arriving at just after midday to find out that she had picked up three 9 grades – in English Language, PE and maths – followed by six 8 grades.

The coronavirus lockdown meant that students did not sit any exams this year but instead were give grades based on their course work and the results of their mock exams.

Angel’s results mean that she is now able to take the next step in her educational career, which will see her go to the Brunts Academy in Mansfield, where she will study maths, biology and psychology at A Level.

She said: “I’m really pleased, especially after what happened with the A Level students last week, and I’m really glad that, looking back, I worked so hard on my mock exams and treated them like the real thing.

“A couple of the results are unexpected but I have what I need to go to Sixth Form and I’m looking forward to it. I got really worried after the A Level students were downgraded but my mum has been letting me know about all the changes that have been happening all week and as soon as I heard they were going to go with the predicted grades I felt really relieved.”

Angel is pictured discussing her GCSE results with Shirebrook Academy assistant principal Natalie Mehrotra-Hughes.

Ben, 16, was the school’s top performer, with eight 9 grades and one 8, and will now go onto study biology, chemistry and maths at A-Level at St Mary’s College in Chesterfield.

He said: “It’s been a real rollercoaster this last week because of what happened with the A Level students and it was a horrible feeling thinking I might be downgraded because of where I live and the school I go to and not because of how academic I am.

“I do think I would have liked to have sit my exams but I also think that this is a fairer way of doing things. Exams are a heat of a moment thing and all the hard work you’ve done through your school life means nothing if you’re not very good at sitting exams.

“This way, they’ve listened to the people who know me the best and know what I’m capable of. I’m really happy with my results and I’m now hoping to get good enough A Levels so that I can get into Oxford or Cambridge.”

Mark Cottingham, principal of Shirebrook Academy, described the school’s overall set of results as another step forward, with 46% of students achieving at least Grade 5 or above in English and Maths and 72% achieving at least a Grade 4 or above in the same subjects. This compares to 40% and 64% respectively last year.

“We were expecting good results from this year group and these results are an accurate reflection of their hard work and positive approach to learning,” he said..

“They deserve these grades and they should be seen as just as valid as if they had taken their exams. The results are consistent with the progress the school has made over the last few years and I’d like to thank all staff, parents and students who have contributed to that positive journey.”