WYVERN Community School achieved ‘disappointing’ GCSE results in its final year according to its acting headteacher.

The school, which became Hans Price Academy in April, failed to improve on last year’s results. It is hoped the switch to academy status will improve results in the long-term.

Only 23 per cent of students achieved five or more A* to C grades, including maths and English.

Judith Mee, who has been acting headteacher since the switch, said the poor results did not come as a surprise.

“The results are disappointing as they don’t sustain our recent year-on-year improvements, but that was expected.

“However we appreciate that by joining the Cabot Learning Federation our future results will be strengthened.”

Ms Mee is confident that the recent change to academy status will bring around a turn in fortunes for the ailing school.

“There has always been a need for an academy in Weston and a need for the school to get a boost.

“I’m not going to hide behind the excuse that changing to an academy has affected us. We always knew this group was going to be a challenge.

“The move hasn’t helped, but it hasn’t caused these results,” she said.

Many of the students face an anxious wait in the coming days to find out whether they have successful gained a place at Weston College.

Fran Shum, who is hoping to study biology at the college, and said she was sad to be leaving behind many friends but admitted the she was looking forward to moving on.

Sophie Towler, who received 6As, is also off to the college to study the sciences as she hopes to become a doctor one day.

“I’m sad to be leaving but on the other hand excited too because college will be exciting,” she said.

New academy principal Armando Di-Finizio said he was disappointed with the results but is confident that the new structure will spark an improvement in results.

“We have in place a successful strategy that I’ve used in my previous schools. It’s going to be a journey and it isn’t going to turn around overnight.”

Mr Di-Finizio used to work at Brunel Academy in Bristol and oversaw a dramatic upturn in results. During three years the pass rate increased from 19 per cent to 43 and is confident he will be as successful at Hans Price.