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Photo: Joe Howlett

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Horse and Groom, venue for the Shoreditch Carnival Party. Pic: Ewan-M

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Electronic act Goldfrapp

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GCSE results slips. Photo: Amy Lacey

Schools in South and East London are celebrating a second wave of exam successes as GCSE results are published.

Following the drama of last week’s A Level grades, today younger students have learnt the results of their GCSEs – two years of work that, for many, will provide a foundation for further study.

Nationally, results have once again shown an improvement on last year, with 69.1% of papers graded C or above. 22.6% received one of the top two grades, A and A*.

Among the high achievers locally was 16-year-old Anish Jalabhay, head boy at The Oasis Academy Coulsdon, who achieved top grades in an impressive 18 subjects. The school’s principal, David Millar, described himself as ‘very proud’ of his students and their achievements.

At Croydon High School, 99.27% of papers were graded A*-C, with two top pupils, Frederiekje Fayd’Herbe De Maudave and Natalie Coulthwaite, achieving 11 A* grades each. Head of 6th Form Heidi Mester described them as ‘bright, charming, well-rounded girls’ who are ‘a joy to teach.’

Meanwhile, Harris City Academy Crystal Palace achieved its best ever GCSE results for the third year in a row, with 25 students achieving 10 or more A and A* grades.

Principal Steve Kenning described himself as ‘delighted’ with the results, adding: “These results are great news as they give all our students a real life opportunity. Their success allows them to move on to the next level confidently.”

At The Petchey Academy in Hackney, students from Year 10 were celebrating as they gained GCSEs a year early. 80% of the school’s first crop of Year 10 students achieved a GCSE grade from A* – C in at least one subject – results that will set them in good stead for their exams next year.

One high-achieving student, 15-year-old Meir Touitou, succeeded in gaining A* grades in Biology, Chemistry and Religious Studies, as well as As in Geography and History – and an A in AS Level Maths.

Boys at Bethnal Green Technology College inspect their results. Photo: Amy Lacey.

To sample the results day atmosphere, EastLondonLines went to two local schools, Bethnal Green Technology College and Mulberry School for Girls – and found a lot of ‘shocked’ students left outside.

Staff at Bethnal Green Technology College, Gosset Street, told pupils they had a ‘surprise’ for everyone – it being a good set of results when they got there.

Kudret Ismail, a 16 year old who lives on Kingsland Road, Hackney, said he ‘wasn’t expecting to do well’ because of pre-exam nerves. However he leaves the school with a mixture of Bs and Cs, with the intention of studying art and design at Southwark College.

For his post exam celebrations Kudret said he plans on fine dining with the family, after his Mum promised to take him for a meal if he got higher than a C in Turkish.

Elsewhere, at Mulberry School for Girls there were similar results with a chorus of happy students getting A*- C grades – and one girl did very well indeed, getting 9 As and A*s as her end result.

Planning on attending Mulberry Sixth Form in September, Rema Rohim said she was most surprised by her English result because she got a C but was expecting higher. Despite this she left with largely high Bs – missing out on As by only a few marks – and said overall she ‘did better than expected.’

But it wasn’t just the Year 11s getting their GCSE results at Mulberry: some bright pupils from year 10 also took exams in Citizenship and Science. Taznin Begum and Aniqa Basith both agreed: “It was a good experience doing it a year early as it prepares you for the real thing and there’s always another year to retake.”

Aniqa added: “Considering I did no revision I was quite happy with my C and D for now.”

Additional reporting by Amy Lacey.

Photo: Mykl Roventine @ flickr

A man who sued a series of London councils – including Hackney, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets – for compensation after injuring himself falling over on pavements is to appear in court on fraud charges.

Nathan Williams, 38, of Soho, is said to have attempted to obtain money by deception from eight different authorities between 2007 and 2008.

He claimed to have suffered a range of injuries as a result of council negligence during the eight month period, including broken bones, fractures and a bruised testicle.

But following an inquiry conducted by police and several authorities, Williams has been charged with eight counts of fraud.

City of Westminster Magistrates’s Court heard that  Williams’ first compensation claim followed a fall on a broken pavement in Boleyn Road, Hackney. Nine months after the incident itself, he complained of an injured hand and foot.

During spring and summer 2008, Williams then proceeded to claim accidents on seven other occasions in different locations around the city.

The rapid succession of claims included attempts to obtain money from Haringey, Westminster, Wandsworth and Southwark councils.

His final fall, supposedly caused by ‘raised ironwork’ in Woolwich Road, Greenwich, took place just one day after another claim in Tower Hamlets.

He has been remanded in custody and will appear in court again on 1 September.

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The Old Bailey. Photo: Bill Tyne @ flickr

A former taxi driver from Stepney has appeared in court to admit the manslaughter of his 100-year-old mother earlier this year.

Michael Fitzgibbon, 62, admits stabbing elderly Hannah Fitzgibbon in the neck at their East London home in February.

Appearing at the Old Bailey, he plead manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

After committing the crime, the court heard, Mr Fitzgibbon told his brother and police: “I’ve just gone mad.”

Though he was originally charged with murder, prosecutors accepted the plea due to psychiatric evaluations that indicated Fitzgibbon was suffering from moderately severe depression and the early effects of Parkinson’s disease.

Prosecuting, Crispin Aylett QC remarked that although Fitzgibbon had not been formally diagnosed at the time of the incident, symptoms of his mental state had been ‘apparent’ to family and friends.

“This occurred at a time when it seems that in fact the defendant’s own health was deteriorating at a rather more rapid rate than that of his mother,” he said.

“Neither psychiatrists nor anyone else could think of any rational explanation for why the defendant would have killed his mother other than the one the defendant himself offered in the immediate aftermath.”

Pre-sentence reports have been ordered to determine whether Fitzgibbon will be jailed or given a supervision order due to his state of health. Sentencing will take place on 13 September.

The European Health Insurance card covers necessary medical treatment abroad

A Lewisham woman who sustained serious injuries after falling 30 feet from a balcony during a honeymoon in Greece will be able to fly home for treatment thanks to the donations of well-wishers.

Carrie-Anne Dudbridge, 27, fractured her spine in the accident, which happened on 14 August, during the holiday in Corfu with her new husband Michael, 29.

After returning from a romantic meal, Mrs Dudbridge, a primary school secretary, slipped and lost her footing on the balcony of their hotel room in Kavos.

With Mrs Dudbridge in hospital, paralysed by her injuries, the couple missed their flight back to the UK and were left stranded abroad with little money.

Language difficulties, no travel insurance cover, and the expensive special air ambulance that would be required to transport  Mrs Dudbridge home in her present condition meant that the situation seemed bleak.

The couple had believed that their European Health Insurance cards would cover any costs, but had failed to understand the terms of their coverage, which includes necessary medical treatment abroad but not repatriation.

But now, the pair will be able to return home after concerned strangers who saw their story in the British media donated more than £16,000 towards helping them.

Expressing the couple’s surprise and gratitude, Mr Dudbridge said: “We’re completely overwhelmed by the support. A huge thank you to everyone involved, and we can’t wait to thank everyone properly when we get home.”

Photo: comedy_nose @ flickr

Sixth-formers across South and East London have received their A and AS Level results – grades which will determine whether they can take up a place at their university of choice.

Competition has been particularly fierce this year, with the introduction of the new ‘A*’ grade, designed to reward candidates at the top end of the marking scale.

Nationally, pass rates have risen for the 28th successive year, and the number of students achieving As has also increased slightly. In its first year of use, 8.1% of papers overall were given the new A* grade.

At Croydon High School, candidates achieved an impressive 100% pass rate, with 84% of papers taken awarded the A*, A or B grades. Three of the school’s students, Natalie Kulenicz, Louise Bond and Priyanka Patel, achieved 3 A* grades each.

Headteacher Debbie Leonard congratulated her pupils, noting: “99% of our girls have automatically secured their places at their first choice university.”

At Riddlesdown Collegiate, also in Croydon, 6 students achieved the new top grade. Principal Gordon Smith praised the ‘excellent’ results and said staff and students had performed ‘magnificently.’

Lewisham’s Christ the King Sixth Form College reported a 98.2% pass rate for its A Level students, of which papers 35.4% received A*-B grades. The college’s BTEC National students also managed a 100% pass rate.

Principal Jane Overbury described herself as ‘very proud’ of the ‘hard work and dedication’ of her students.

Tower Hamlets College achieved a 94% pass rate, including eight students who achieved the A* grade.

In Hackney, Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form also had a 94% pass rate, while Our Lady’s Convent High School in Stamford Hill reached 99% – with 83% of papers graded C or above.

BSix Sixth Form College in Lower Clapton has also been celebrating after 19-year-old Allum Bokhari became its first student to get into Oxford University.

Meanwhile, Shoreditch-based Hackney Community College showed a distinct improvement in its A Level pass rate, achieving 97% – an eight percent increase on last year. To celebrate its students’ results, the college posted some short videos on its Youtube account.

Deputy Principal Lois Fowler said: “Our students have worked incredibly hard and have achieved impressive results. At Hackney Community College, we’re dedicated to sustaining the steady improvement that we’ve worked for in recent years.”