Pupils at the Palmer Catholic Academy bucked national trends by improving on last year’s grades to get the best results ever at the school.

Ilford Recorder: James Durcan and Pamela Gorska got top grades at the Palmer Catholic Academy.James Durcan and Pamela Gorska got top grades at the Palmer Catholic Academy. (Image: Archant)

A whopping 83 per cent of students got five or more A* to C grades, with 70 per cent including maths and English.

Star student Pamela Gorska got the top grades in the school with 10 A*s and two A*s, having taken one GCSE a year early.

She is going to stay on at the school, in Aldborough Road South, Seven Kings, to do A-levels in English literature, biology, chemistry and maths.

“I was really worried about my results,” she said.

“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. I think it’s interesting and it’s nice to help people.”

Classmate James Durcan was only one grade behind with nine A*s and two As.

He will be moving on to study A-levels in history, English, maths and French at Davenant Foundation School in Loughton.

James said: “I was quite shocked by my grades, I wasn’t expecting that so it was a nice surprise.

“I’ve really liked my time here but it will be good to go on to somewhere new and have a challenge.”

Headteacher Frank Maguire said he was “delighted” with the results.

He added: “It’s testament to the hard work and dedication of pupils and staff, and the support from parents.

“The marking regime has become tougher for both GCSEs and A-levels and pupils are tending more towards science and maths rather than arts subjects.

“But we’re still seeing a lot of students enrolling to stay on here and I think the aspiration for many is still going to university.”