Madras and Bell Baxter students praised as SQA exam results pass rates rise

Things were a little different this year – students did not sit exams because of Covid-19, and instead their results were based on a combination of teacher estimates and national moderation.

On Tuesday morning, the thousands of anxious pupils across north east Fife had to wait for the postman or a text to discover how they had fared in their exams.

And it was good news for most Fifers. Pass rates for Highers, Advanced Highers and National 5 qualifications were all up on 2019.

Bell Baxter rector Carol Ann Penrose congratulated her students.

“We are so proud,” she said. “For a second year in a row our young people have gained significant improvements in their SQA grades. We are delighted to note that last year’s increase in National 5 attainment has been sustained and the S5 results (Highers), a key target area of our school improvement plan, have shot up considerably.

“All of our young people and staff at Bell Baxter deserve huge congratulations for working exceptionally hard to achieve these results.

Avril McNeill. who is due to take over as Madras College rector in the coming days, added: “Madras College would like to celebrate the success of our learners following SQA exam results 2020.

“There is sustained and continued improvement, quality of passes, and above national average performance at National 5 level in 4th Year, Higher level in 5th/ 6th year and Advanced Higher in 6th year. Sincere thanks go to our committed staff and special acknowledgement goes to outgoing rector David McClure.”