From the Surrey Comet, August 22, 2003

Schools at both ends of the educational spectrum reported their best ever GCSE results 10 years ago this week.

Every single Kingston school whose results were ready as the Comet went to press showed an improvement in at least one of the standard bandings.

Holy Cross School in Westbury Road, New Malden, celebrated the school’s best results ever with 95 per cent of exams between A* and E grades.

Head of English Diane Middlecoat celebrated her department’s record achievements, with 92 per cent in English literature and 86 per cent in English getting A* to C.

She said: “We are over the moon with our results. It’s wonderful seeing all the girls screaming. It makes it all worthwhile.”

Tiffin Girls’ School reaffirmed its position as the borough’s best with more than half of all exams resulting in the highest A* grade.

Beverley School saw a 5 per cent improvement on last year’s results, with 36 per cent of those sitting five or more exams gaining A* to C grades in at least five subjects.

Private schools in Kingston did well again, with Kingston Grammar School and Surbiton High School pupils getting A*s in more than a quarter of all exams.

And while the schools quietly celebrated their successes, pupils were screaming with delight in courtyards, offices, and at home.

Richard Challoner pupil Mark Witham got four A*s, four As and two Bs.

He said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic. My friends have all done well. I don’t think any of them failed.

“I am staying at Richard Challoner. It’s really good here and has definitely helped me do well.”

Several pupils stood head and shoulders above all other applicants, getting one of the top five marks in individual subjects.

Shopitha Sivaranjan and Sofia Petruccio, both from Tolworth Girls’ School, got the accolade in English literature and Spanish respectively.

Correction: Last week in Vintage Kingston we wrongly reported that Pauline Cox was the headteacher of Tolworth Girls’ School, when she was in fact the headteacher of Tiffin Girls’ School.

 

50 YEARS AGO: August 21, 1963
A building project in Tolworth Broadway was delayed for the second time in a year.

More than 100 builders working on the £2.5m development went on strike to negotiate higher pay and shorter hours.

Work was brought to a standstill previously by particularly cold winter weather.

25 YEARS AGO: August 26, 1988
A man was thanking his lucky stars a quarter of a century ago, after surviving an explosion caused by a workmate drilling through a power cable.

Ron Albury was caught in a fireball in the accident in Lower Ham Road. The first the Surrey Comet knew of the incident was when all the lights went out in the office.

10 YEARS AGO: August 22, 2003
A block of public toilets was closed permanently because people were having sex and taking drugs there.

The Bath Passage loos, yards from the Guildhall, shut without many councillors or residents being told.

Police became aware of the problem after a number of reports of men hanging around the area.