Joshua: “Freemen’s has a great atmosphere”​​​​​​​

“I feel a massive sense of relief that I have achieved what I had hoped for, and I am very pleased that all of my revision was worth it.”

Joshua looks forward to carrying on his studies in Freemen’s Sixth Form and especially going into a lot more depth into subjects that he is interested in. He hopes his time in Sixth Form will act as a mid-way step to University in regards to independence and self-motivation and he believes it will be the perfect transition to make.

“All of the teachers here have been hugely supportive surrounding exam pressures. Mr Weston, my History teacher, as well as Mr Bloomer, my English teacher, both have helped me whenever I have needed help or support and have made my experience of GCSEs much more positive.”

Travelling to Berlin for a History trip has been one of Joshua’s highlights since joining Freemen’s in Year 5. He really enjoyed the freedom he was given to explore Berlin as well as all of the opportunities they were given to learn about the history of the city such as The Cold War.

“Knowing that Freemen’s is so proud of the grades that students get, I did find the expectations quite demanding at first but in time I have found it very beneficial and found that I also put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed.”

Joshua has achieved his Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh's Awards (DofE) so far and hopes to complete the Gold ranking in the future. He took part in CCF for a couple of years and now he enjoys playing basketball at the school.

“I would advise next year’s GCSE students to keep making useful notes throughout the two years and keep up to date with everything, as this will mean you get a head-start when revising and it reduces the work-load and stress that you may get around the exam period. All of the hard work will be worth it when you see that result sheet!”