An independent girls' school in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal has achieved a 100% matric pass rate, with all matriculants bagging bachelor’s degree passes.

The Wykeham Collegiate’s two top achievers, Gemma Bernhard and Maeve Miranda — who achieved eight distinctions each, including 100% for mathematics — have been acknowledged on the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) outstanding achievement list for achieving a ranking within the top 5% of all IEB learners in six of the National Senior Certificate subjects it offered and scoring 80% or more for life orientation.

The school achieved 186 distinctions, while 21 girls achieved four distinctions or more.

Principal Sue Tasker told TimesLIVE the school is “proud of how adaptable and resilient The Wykeham Collegiate pupils and staff have been through the difficult times of the past two years, particularly the grade 12s, who have spent their toughest school years studying through Covid-19 restrictions and managed a 100% bachelor’s degree pass rate, which is quite remarkable.

“Not only does it speak to the dedication and quality of our teaching staff but also to the work ethic and the determination of our pupils.

“As a school we did everything in our power to protect the grade 12s so their studies were not interrupted.

“At times they stayed at school while the rest of the school went online so they were able to continue with face-to-face learning and get extra tuition where needed.

“However, we also believe balance is key to success and while it was not an easy feat to keep the pupils healthy while allowing them to be teenagers, we felt it was important for their mental wellbeing to have fun as a grade.”

Tasker said she was exceptionally proud of her matrics “and know if they can achieve this kind of success during this historic time of the pandemic, they will certainly be successful in their future endeavours”.

Thomas Moore College (TMC), an independent coeducation school in Kloof outside Durban, also received a 100% pass rate.

Board chairperson Wayne Taggard said: “Our pupils and staff have done incredibly well in this examination sitting, given the extraordinarily fluid circumstances we navigated in 2021. These results are also punctuated by new records for TMC.

­“Our record grade average aggregate of 73.2% speaks to the exemplary commitment and resilience of our staff and pupils.”

The school achieved a record number of A aggregates (40 pupils), subject distinctions (average of 2.5 per pupil), and 15 of the 17 subjects performed above the national averages.

Clifton, an independent boys school in Durban, also achieved a 100% bachelor’s degree pass rate.

TimesLIVE