7 January 2020

Dear Parents and Friends of St Martin’s School

I am delighted to share with you the Matric results of our class of 2019.  Hard work has been rewarded – it always is – and, with the support, the excellent instruction and the concern for each individual, by their amazing teachers, these Matrics have really done us proud. 

Almost one third of the pupils got 4 distinctions or more, and 28% of the symbols achieved were A’s.  Hard work really did pay off!  Joshua Soal was in the top 1% of candidates countrywide for English and Hiral Patel for Life Orientation.  Fantastic achievements!

One is always excited about the top results and there is much reason to celebrate these.  But one does need to look a little deeper, because a good set of Matric results is not only about the top pupils.  It excites me that, apart from the 100% pass rate, 92% of our pupils were awarded a Bachelor’s pass which means they can go to university, while all pupils qualify for some form of further study.  And then, for me, there are two astounding results:  73% of all the symbols the Matrics achieved, were A’s, B’s or C’s, and 89% of the pupils achieved an A, B or C average.  Quite remarkable!  In terms of depth there is one other result that is worth mentioning.  If you take all the marks of all the pupils in all the subjects written, and you calculate an average, you get 69,4%.  Again, quite remarkable.

It also excites me that many of our pupils achieved their personal best results and they have every reason to be as proud of their achievements, as those pupils who got a string of distinctions.  I certainly am proud of them!

Our subject averages, in comparison to national averages, is another statistic that is worthy of mention.  Of the 18 subjects we offer at St Martin’s, 12 were equal to, or above, the IEB national average.  What an achievement!  Here are some of the subjects that were way above the national average:  Portuguese (13%), Engineering Graphics and Design (11%), English (7%), Hospitality (7%), and Business (5%).

My sincere thanks goes to our teachers.  Not only the Matric teachers, but also to all the teachers who set such a solid foundation further down in the school and, indeed the Prep School, all those years ago.  Well done and thank you!  What a fine job you continue to do in the classroom.

To our Matric parents – this is finally the end!  It has come at last, but oh how quickly the time has flown.  Thank you for the support you have given your child and the school.  Together with you as parents, we have done everything we can to prepare them for the future that now lies ahead of them and I have every confidence that they will not disappoint us.

Best wishes

Thomas Hagspihl

Headmaster