Top marks and big ambitions for Bohunt pupils on GCSE results day

For Lara Robinson, the sinking feeling after each GCSE exam has finally been replaced by the very best kind of surprise.

“I thought, ‘Oh my god, this has gone terribly’ after each exam,” she said. “It is good to know that I was wrong.”

Very wrong, as it turned out. Lara has achieved all Grade 9s and Grade 8s, and will now go on to study maths, biology and chemistry or sociology. She was far from alone in having something to celebrate as Bohunt School’s 2026 cohort marked another exceptional set of GCSE results.

A record 95 per cent of students passed English GCSE, while close to 90 per cent achieved Grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Almost 40 per cent of all grades awarded were at the highest level, Grades 7 to 9.

Adam Wood was among those at the very top of the results table, achieving Grade 9s across the board.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said. “I thought I was going to get a couple of sevens.”

Adam said he had put in around two hours of study every day since December – a commitment that clearly paid off. He will now stay on at sixth form.

Ellen Barber also secured a mixture of Grade 7s, 8s and 9s and will continue her studies at Bohunt’s sixth form.

“I put the effort in since before Year 11,” she said. “It took a lot of concentrated study effort, but if you put in the effort, anything is possible.”

For Matthew Willis, simply getting through the exams was an achievement in itself.

The rugby fan secured a strong mix of BTEC Distinctions and Merits alongside solid GCSE passes but his attendance was hit hard by a serious shoulder injury. Matthew dislocated it three times and spent months in and out of physiotherapy before discovering he needed surgery.

He underwent the operation and was still wearing a sling with a block during his exams, having already missed significant time at school.

But Matthew had his sights firmly set on returning to the rugby pitch.

His sporting achievements have earned him a sports award to study at Cranleigh College, where he hopes to take his rugby to the national level.

“I want to play professionally in three or four years,” he said, with the ambition of securing his first contract next year.

Bohunt also celebrated exceptional results from Zoe, William and David, who each achieved eight Grade 9s and two Grade 8s. David achieved his Grade 9 in Mandarin back in Year 9 through the school’s language immersion programme.

Lucy Broad and Hannah Green, Co-Heads, said the results reflected the “dedication and passion” of students, teachers and the wider community.

“We cannot wait to see what the future holds for this brilliant cohort of young people who are the game-changers of the future!” they said.

Neil Strowger, Headteacher and Trust Leader at Bohunt Education Trust, said the results were particularly remarkable given the school’s “long tradition of the highest outcomes”.

He said: “These GCSE results are testament to their hard work, dedication and resilience.”