A HEADTEACHER of a Barrow school has praised its new crop of pupils for showing "great courage and faith" to achieve fantastic GCSE results.

More than half of Year 11 pupils at Chetwynde School in Barrow joined in September 2014 as the Rating Lane site became the first free school in Cumbria after previously being a private fee-paying school.

However, both old and new pupils enjoyed results day success as schoolchildren gleefully ripped open envelopes to reveal fantastic results.

One of the school's highest achievers was Emma Gittins, who secured seven A*s and three As.

She said: "I am really pleased that all my hard work has paid off. I knew that I had tried my best and I was hoping for grades like this so I am really happy."

Emma, who has been with the school since she was an infant, is heading to Lancaster Girls Grammar School to take A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.

She added: "I am really looking forward to the next chapter. Chetwynde has really helped me to get these results. The teachers really helped us by putting on extra revision sessions if we ever needed them so their hard work has also paid off."

Lottie Wiper and Jasmine Cameron were the school's other high achievers as they bagged 11 A*s and nine As between them.

Headteacher Sian Jeffreys said: "Each and every one of them has had a challenging few years. Those that came up from our primary school have shown great loyalty and perseverance, sticking with the school even when its future looked uncertain and I thank them all for their faith in us.

"Their GCSE results are outstanding and very well-deserved. Over half of this year group though came to us in Year 10, just twenty months before their GCSEs, again showing great courage and faith in this school.

"The fact that they changed schools at such a crucial time and have come away with good results is a testament both to them, to their families and to their hardworking teachers."

READ MORE: GCSE results: Chetwynde School in Barrow

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