I am sure there will be plenty of nerves on show this morning as students across the Borough wait to pick up their GCSE results from their respective secondary schools.

This is the first time in three years that our students will have sat A-Level and GCSE exams following the pandemic and there is likely to be much interest in the national media when comparing today’s provisional results with those of 2019.

COVID-19 had a huge impact on all our lives, but I do not think we should underestimate the effects on our young people, who faced significant disruption to their education despite the best efforts of everyone associated with our schools.

Our teachers and support staff did an amazing job in ensuring teaching and learning could continue while we battled to overcome the virus, but virtual learning is no substitute for face-to-face teaching.

The Government has warned us to expect today’s grades to be lower than last year when students’ grades were determined by their teachers after being assessed internally.

However, it is expected that part of a transition period put in place by Ofqual to return to pre-pandemic grading, students will receive higher grades this year than in 2019. This is why the Department for Education is strongly discouraging comparing today’s provisional results to those of previous years.

Instead we should look forward and celebrate the achievements of each and every one of Swindon’s students and wish them every success in the future, whether they picked up their GCSEs results today, or their A-Level results last week.

Our students and teachers quite rightly take centre stage on days like today, but I would also like to say a special thank you to those staff and governors who work behind the scenes and make sure our schools deliver the quality education in our schools.

If you are not sure what path to take after picking up your results, our Education, Employment and Training Service will be offering free careers information, advice and guidance to young people today (25 Aug).

A drop-in session is taking place in the town centre at Swindon Hub, which can be found at 35 The Parade, which used to house the former River Island store.

Staff from the Supported Employment Team, as well as other partners, will be on hand between 10am and 3pm to give students helpful advice on their next steps into education , employment or training, regardless of what grades they received.

There is also lots of other advice out there should you need it. The Education Hub on the GOV.uk website has lots of useful information for those receiving their GCSEs and Level 2 and below vocational and technical qualifications.

You can find more information at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/