After the success of last week’s A Level results, Maynard School students are celebrating another remarkable set of examination results at GCSE level today.

- Pass rate: 100%

- 98% of passes were at A*, A or B

- 83% of passes were at A* or A

- 43% of passes were at A*

- 21 girls (40% of candidates) achieved straight A or A* grades, with 5 achieving all A* grades

Ms Bee Hughes, Headmistress, commented:

“All the girls, their parents and teachers are to be congratulated on these results. They are a testament to the high calibre of teaching the Maynard offers and also to the mutually supportive atmosphere which the whole school community enjoys. What is most impressive is that behind these hugely gratifying statistics are real girls who have many skills and interests, and sometimes challenges, outside the classroom that have not deterred them from aspiring highly and achieving their goals.”

Students at the Maynard School have achieved another stunning set of A Level grades.

A Level Results 2009

Passes at Grade A                            52%

Passes at Grades A or B                 81%

Passes at Grades A to C                 95%

27% of students gained straight A Grades

The girls have achieved in a diverse range of subjects which defy the national trend for choosing less challenging subjects. Amongst the many success stories are first-rate scientists, linguists and mathematicians, all “difficult” subjects which have seen a drop in popularity nationally in recent years.

Bee Hughes, Headmistress, commented:

“I am delighted that our students have gained excellent results once again. They have shown a huge commitment throughout their school career and have matured into confident, compassionate young women, fully equipped to succeed in a fast-changing world. I am proud of all their achievements and of the Maynard staff, whose academic and pastoral support inspires the girls to work hard and to achieve brilliant results year on year.”

Sophie Mould and Amelia Newman from Lower 5 have been hosting a month-long visit from students from our Exchange Partner School in Australia. Laura Knights and Paris McPherson (pictured) have been living with Sophie and Amelia’s families and attending school for the past couple of weeks. Their visit will include a sight seeing trip to London. At the end of term, Sophie and Amelia will be travelling to Australia to spend time as boarders at Laura and Paris’ school.

Laura and Paris said “Everybody at the Maynard School has been very welcoming and kind. It is very different here but we are enjoying the experience. And we love the school lunches!”

Mrs Davey from the Junior School recently made an epic trek to Everest Base Camp to raise money for the charity Erb’s Palsy. In total she raised a magnificent £1012.25p, of which £222.25 was collected after Lower 3’s Spring Drama Production. Mrs Davey sends her very grateful thanks to everyone who supported her fundraising.

Sophie Turner, L6, was recently invited to play in a polo team competing in the first amateur ladies polo tournament held by the St Tropez Polo Club.

The team she was played for was the ‘Roca Rosa’ and she was played at number 2. Although the team finished as runners-up they fought very hard. Sophie played very well and really enjoyed the event, which was a great experience for her.

On Sunday 17 May, Lily Bayley travelled to Stonar School, in Wiltshire, to represent the Maynard School in the Junior One Day Event (ODE). An ODE contains three disciplines on one day: a dressage test, a round of show-jumping and then a round of cross-country fences (which have to be completed within a set time).

The weather was appalling, both cold and wet, and by the time Lily was riding her cross-country round there was torrential rain.

Lily, and her pony Sannan Valley Harmony, were in the lead after the dressage phase with a score of 30. They had one fence down in the show jumping and then went clear over the cross-country course, giving them a final score of 34 points. This gave them 2nd place overall and the prize for the Best Dressage test.

A great result!

Mrs Halpin

On the 10th of May (while Maynard teams successfully completed Ten Tors) I took part in the annual Walsall Trophy Synchronised Swimming Competition, as a part of Exeter Synchro Team. With my duet partner, we managed to win the Grade 3 duet, and with the Senior Team, we came first as well. Through the points system (a bit like sports day: the different placings totalling set points) Exeter won the competition overall out of 6 other South West teams. I was voted Captain of the club, so had the job of collecting the trophy, to return to the ecstatic group of screaming girls. It was a great day with the only down-point being trying to get the gelatine out of my hair afterwards!

Polly Thompson, U5Q

On 16th June 2009, Maynard U5s everywhere found themselves busily squeezing into dresses and heels, preparing themselves for the Maynard U5 Prom, set in the beautiful Thistle Hotel. Everyone had a fantastic night complete with lots of laughs and memories.

Planning and organisational skills were put to the test by Issy McNeile, Georgia Stone and me, with some hard price negotiation undertaken. Everyone looked beautiful and all the girls want to thank the willing mothers who stepped in as chaperones for the night!

The next day, we went into school one last time before summer for the U5th “Special Day”! The morning began with handing text books back. Then, after a talk on what to expect when we begin Sixth Form, a magnificent banquet was laid on for us all in the Main Hall. The U5 special assembly followed where Mr Crew managed to create a fabulous medley of hymns for us to sing.

After assembly, shoes were swapped for trainers and together girls and teachers marched down to the bowling alley in a competitive spirit. A few sticks of candy floss later, the very flattering bowling shoes were swapped for trainers again and in crocodile formation, we walked down to the Double Locks for an amazing BBQ with burgers and chips all round! The weather managed to hold up and a very tired but happy bunch of girls and teachers hopped onto a boat heading back up the river into Exeter.

What an amazing end to the U5 year and GCSEs! A huge thank you from all the girls goes to Mrs Martin, Dr Le Gallez, Mrs Thorne and Mrs Smart for all their help and inspiration! Special thanks to Mrs Smart for putting up with us for two years and organising a special day for us at the end!

Katie Matthews, U5Q