3rd September Helen Maguire, Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom & Ewell, spotlighted in a Parliament debate a pressing local frustration: pavement parking.

A Daily Struggle on Our Footpaths

Maguire painted a vivid picture of everyday life here in Epsom & Ewell—where pavements are meant to be safe, shared spaces, but too often become obstacles.

According to Guide Dogs UK, four out of five blind or partially sighted people report difficulty walking on pavements at least once a week, and 95% have been forced onto the road because vehicles encroach even slightly. For wheelchair and mobility scooter users, this alarming figure leaps to 99%. Even parents aren’t spared: 87% say they’ve had to step into the road, and 80% would walk their children to school more often if pavements weren’t blocked.

Maguire also revealed a telling local anecdote: on one evening alone, a constituent counted 23 mopeds and motorbikes cluttering a pavement, forcing people into traffic and weaving in and out unpredictably. It’s these small moments that undermine our sense of safety—and, by extension, our freedom.

The Patchwork of Laws

Here’s the head-scratcher: pavement parking is banned in London (for fifty years) and across Scotland unless your council specifically says otherwise. But elsewhere in England, the rule is reversed: it’s allowed unless a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) is put in place—a long, expensive local process.

Driving onto pavements is already illegal under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835—but, as Helen pointed out, few people even know the finer points of the law. One survey found just 5% of drivers understand all aspects.

A Consultation Left Hanging—and Growing Frustration

It’s now nearly five years since the government ran a consultation titled Pavement parking: options for change, which closed in November 2020. It proposed everything from simplifying the TRO process to introducing a national default ban—but still, there’s been no government response or action. Helen called on ministers to act before the consultation’s fifth anniversary rolls around this autumn.

Lessons from Closer to Home—and Farther Afield

London and Scotland show what’s possible: clearer rules, better enforcement, safer walking spaces. In Scotland, since the Transport Act 2019 came into force, councils have issued thousands of fines—raising almost £1 million in the process, with Edinburgh alone accounting for around £441,000, and showing that civil enforcement works.

Meanwhile, in England, research from Guide Dogs underscores the human cost—injuries, forced urban detours, isolation—and Living Streets found that 65% of drivers admitted to pavement parking, while 43% had done so in the past six months.

What It Means for Epsom & Ewell

For our residents—those with visual impairments, mobility challenges, parents with prams—the pavement should be a path to independence, not a blockade.

Maguire’s plea is clear: she wants a national default ban on pavement parking—one that gives the police and councils clarity, hones enforcement, and safeguards community spaces.

What Could Come Next?

• A national ban as the starting point, with councils able to allow exceptions where needed.
• Proper powers for civil enforcement—think PCNs—not just confusing laws in dusty books.
• A public campaign: educating drivers, building understanding, reducing dangerous impromptu parking.
• Local upgrades to pavements: smoother, wider, safer—so more of us feel confident walking around Epsom & Ewell.

Related report:

Epsom High St in need of more love?

Deliveroo drivers outside McDonalds Epsom

This November marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Cedric Sherriff (1896–1975), the Surrey-born playwright and screenwriter best remembered for his First World War play Journey’s End.

Sherriff, who attended Kingston Grammar School, originally worked as an insurance clerk before serving with distinction on the Western Front. His experiences in the trenches shaped Journey’s End (1928), the searing drama set in a British officers’ dugout during the last year of the war.

The play, which launched the career of a young Laurence Olivier – barely 21 at the time – was first staged at the Apollo Theatre in London. It became one of the defining anti-war works of its age and continues to be revived on stage and screen nearly a century later.

But Sherriff’s talents extended far beyond the theatre. He went on to become the highest-paid English scriptwriter in Hollywood, penning screenplays for classics such as The Invisible Man (1933), Goodbye Mr Chips (1939), The Four Feathers (1939), and The Dam Busters (1955). His work combined dramatic structure with cinematic flair, leaving an enduring legacy on both sides of the Atlantic.

To mark the anniversary, Surrey History Centre is hosting a special event in Woking on Saturday 8 November (10.30am–12.15pm). The programme includes:

• Dr David Cottis – “RC Sherriff and the Well-Made Screenplay”
  A look at how Sherriff brought stagecraft into cinema, illustrated with material from the Centre’s archives.
• Roland Wales – “Shirkers or Spies? RC Sherriff in Wartime Hollywood”
  Exploring Sherriff’s move to America during the Second World War, where British expatriates were accused in some quarters of being shirkers at home and even suspected spies abroad. Despite this, their patriotic films resonated strongly with American audiences, helping shape wartime morale.

The event will be held both in person at the Surrey History Centre, Woking (130 Goldsworth Road, GU21 6ND), and online via Zoom. Tickets cost £6 and must be booked in advance. Book HERE

For those interested in Surrey’s literary heritage, the occasion provides a rare chance to revisit the remarkable career of a local man who made a global impact – from Kingston schoolboy to West End dramatist, Hollywood insider, and chronicler of the war generation.

For more news and events from Surrey History Centre CLICK HERE

This September, Epsom pauses to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its parish church, the Church of St Martin of Tours. For two centuries the building has stood at the centre of town life — a place of worship, history, and identity for Epsom and Ewell.

The anniversary weekend will feature a range of special events. On Sunday 14 September at 3pm, historian Peter Ross will deliver a talk entitled Dining with James and Jane: Eating at Home with the Georgians. Drawing on the vivid diaries of Norfolk clergyman James Woodforde (1758–1802), who recorded every meal he ate, and the letters and novels of Jane Austen, Ross will reveal the food, manners, and household rhythms of Georgian England. His illustrated lecture will include images of paintings, prints, cookery books, and everyday domestic objects, offering a glimpse into the lives of our Georgian forebears. The afternoon will conclude with tea, followed by a service of Choral Evensong.

A stone laid in 1825

On 19 May 1825, the Rev. Joseph Darby, vicar of Epsom, laid the first stone of a new parish church. The medieval church that had stood for centuries was by then both too small and in disrepair. A meeting in 1823 resolved — after some debate — to rebuild. The sturdy medieval tower at the north-west corner was spared, along with the ancient font and wall memorials, but the remainder was swept away.

The contractors, William Blofield of London, working to plans by architect Mr Hatchard of Pimlico, expanded the footprint of the building. Side aisles were widened and lengthened, the west front was advanced, and new staircases and galleries provided for greater capacity. The rebuilt church could now seat around 1,120 parishioners.

At the stone-laying ceremony, Rev. Darby was presented with a handsome silver trowel, inscribed to mark the moment. Sadly, the trowel has since been lost, but the act it commemorated continues to shape the heart of Epsom today.

Victorian Epsom: railways and renewal

Within a generation, however, Epsom was changing again. The arrival of the railway in the 1840s transformed the town from a quiet settlement of around 3,300 people into a rapidly growing commuter hub. Two lines, one from London Bridge and another from Waterloo, brought new residents and prosperity. By the mid-nineteenth century, the population had more than doubled.

The parish church once again felt the strain. Inadequate for the growing congregation, its galleries deemed unsightly, and its facilities cramped, it became the subject of another ambitious rebuilding plan. The vicar at the time, Rev. Waldegrave Bainbridge-Bell, rallied support from influential local figures, including Lord Rosebery and Sir Thomas Bucknill MP.

There was even talk that Epsom Parish Church might become the cathedral of a proposed new Diocese of Guildford. With such aspirations in mind, the architects Nicholson and Corlette were commissioned to draw up a design of “cathedral proportions”.

The 1908 extension

In August 1907, the foundation stone for the grand new east end was laid. A year later, on St Martin’s Day (11 November 1908), the Bishop of Winchester consecrated the new extension. The project cost £13,000 — a significant sum at the time — and gave the church much of the form it has today.

Not all of the plans could be realised: financial pressures meant the most ambitious elements of the Nicholson and Corlette design were never completed. But the east end remains one of Surrey’s most impressive ecclesiastical interiors, a testimony both to the ambition of its builders and to Epsom’s growth in the early twentieth century.

What remains today

Today, three key layers of history meet in the building:

• The medieval tower, the oldest surviving structure in Epsom.
• The 1825 nave and west end, the fruit of the first great rebuilding.
• The 1908 east end, marking the town’s Edwardian expansion.

Together, they tell a story not only of the parish church but of the town itself: medieval market village, Georgian spa settlement, Victorian commuter suburb, and Edwardian provincial centre.

Looking to the future

While this year’s anniversary recalls the laying of the 1825 foundation stone, there are further milestones ahead. In just three years’ time, the church will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its great east end. That event, too, will provide an opportunity for reflection and celebration.

For now, parishioners and townsfolk alike are invited to join in the September festivities — to mark 200 years since the church we know today began to rise from the foundations of its medieval predecessor.

As one of Epsom’s most enduring landmarks, St Martin’s stands not only as a house of worship but also as a witness to the town’s history. Its tower and walls have looked down on 200 years of change. In celebrating this anniversary, the community also honours the generations who built, rebuilt, and preserved Epsom’s parish church at the heart of civic life.

A long-standing racegoer has written to the Epsom & Ewell Times to complain of what she described as “a complete lack of sanitation facilities” at Epsom Downs Racecourse during the Bank Holiday Family Day on Monday, 25 August 2025.

The foreground of the image is AI generated and is not intended to be an accurate reflection of events. The background of the image is Epsom Downs © Peter Trimming cc-by-sa/2.0 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

The complainant, who said her extended family has attended the Bank Holiday fixture for four decades, alleged that just three portable toilets were provided “for thousands of people” attending the day. She reported long queues of up to half an hour, children in tears, and many people resorting to urinating on the grass.

The family, who usually picnic in the middle of the course, said they left early due to the situation. “What had been a family tradition will no longer be happening,” the complainant wrote. “It’s almost as if you’re trying to make the environment around the course as unpleasant as possible to force everyone into the Grandstand where the big money is made.”

The racegoer added that her father-in-law, aged 83, was refused use of the grandstand toilets without paying an additional entrance fee, which she described as “unkind and cold-hearted.”

Bookmaker Adam Swann also took to social media to highlight similar complaints from his customers, many of whom told him they would not be returning.

This is not the first time facilities have been raised as a concern. The complainant referred to feedback she gave in 2024, when Epsom Downs Racecourse responded: “We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional race days and we are saddened to hear that we have fallen short on this occasion.” She said she felt this year’s provision showed that those assurances had been “hollow and insincere.”

In response, a spokesperson for Epsom Downs Racecourse told the Epsom & Ewell Times:

“For each raceday at Epsom Downs, we work to book the appropriate facilities for the number of racegoers we will have on site. Our Bank Holiday Family Day has traditionally included activity that takes place on the Hill. In 2025, this activity did not take place, and therefore a decision was made not to provide these facilities.

“The Tattenham Straight Enclosure is traditionally facilitated with temporary facilities. Unfortunately there was an issue with these facilities earlier in the day, resulting in only one cubicle being available to the public. On arrival, racegoers in both enclosures were made aware that they could use toilets in the Grandstand as a substitute for these facilities not being available. As with all our racedays, we will thoroughly review all the feedback and can only apologise to those on site who were unable to access the facilities.”

The incident raises questions about future race meetings at Epsom Downs and whether the traditional family presence “on the Hill” will continue if facilities are not restored.

Commuters travelling from Epsom to London terminals are set to pay significantly more for their journeys next year if government policy on rail fares continues unchanged. The current cost of an annual season ticket from Epsom is £2,676, but under the projected 5.8% rise in regulated fares for 2026–27, that figure would climb by around £155 to reach approximately £2,831.

The increase is tied to the government’s formula of linking fares to July’s Retail Price Index plus one percent. This comes at a time when services from Epsom to Waterloo remain reduced, with only two trains an hour since the Covid pandemic, despite a growing local population.

Epsom & Ewell’s MP, Helen Maguire, has condemned the proposed rise. She said: “It is incomprehensible that once again ordinary people in Epsom & Ewell are facing yet another eye-watering rail fare hike, whilst South Western Railway are struggling to go a day without major disruption. Rail passengers should not be paying more for a service that is not delivering.”

Maguire has launched a petition calling for the restoration of train frequency to pre-Covid levels, arguing that local commuters should not face higher costs for fewer services.

Her party colleague, Paul Kohler MP, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson, added that rising fares were “nothing short of ludicrous” and described the policy as “a slap in the face to ordinary people” at a time when punctuality is at its lowest level in years.

Critics point out that fare hikes of this scale risk pushing more people off the railway at a time when the government is urging a shift to more sustainable modes of transport. Meanwhile, passengers are grappling with frequent cancellations, driver shortages, and the delayed rollout of South Western Railway’s Arterio fleet.

The Department for Transport has not yet confirmed the final figures or the exact implementation date, but increases are typically introduced in March. Unless ministers intervene, Epsom’s commuters face paying hundreds more pounds next year for a service many feel has been in steady decline.

Councils across the UK have added a further £7.8bn to their collective borrowing in the last year, leaving local authorities with debts of £122.2bn – the equivalent of £1,791 for every resident. The figures, released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that council debt rose seven per cent in a single year from £114.5bn in 2024.

For Epsom and Ewell Borough Council (EEBC), debt at the end of the 2024/25 financial year stood at £64.4m – or £785.80 per head of population. Surrey County Council’s position is much larger in absolute terms, with borrowing of £1.07bn, equating to £873.69 per resident. EEBC’s debt level is exactly the same as the previous year. “This is because the council has not taken on any additional borrowing, and no debt was paid between the two financial years”, said Cllr Neil Dallen (RA Town Ward), Chair of EEBC’s Strategy and Resources Committee.

Both figures sit below the UK-wide average of £1,791 per head but illustrate how deeply embedded borrowing now is in local government finance.

Why councils borrow

Local authorities are permitted to borrow to fund projects such as schools, leisure centres, theatres and housing. Many also borrowed heavily over the past decade to acquire commercial property – from office parks to shopping centres – intended to generate rental income to offset cuts to central government funding.

But short-term borrowing from central government has almost tripled in recent years, in some cases used to plug day-to-day budget gaps rather than pay for long-term investments. Jonathan Carr-West of the Local Government Information Unit warned the approach was “extremely worrying”, likening it to “payday loans for local governments”.

Surrey’s position

Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, said that while the council had “a stable budget position”, it was not immune to national financial pressures. He added: “All our key services – including social care, children’s services, and highways maintenance – are facing higher demand, higher costs, and reduced funding. We must find ways to continue to support those residents who need us most, and to deliver the services that people rely on every day.

“As part of our budget setting process, the levels of balances and reserves have been determined to ensure that the level is justifiable and manageable in the context of local circumstances and risk.”

Surrey’s capital spending ambitions include new school places, highways upgrades, green initiatives, social care accommodation and library improvements, but the council has been forced to hold more expensive short-term debt while waiting for interest rates to fall.

National concerns

Warnings about the sustainability of council borrowing are not new. Six authorities – Croydon, Slough, Thurrock, Birmingham, Woking and Nottingham – have effectively declared bankruptcy in recent years, in some cases due to failed investment schemes. Thurrock alone faces a £469m funding black hole from collapsed solar farm projects.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that local authority “core spending power” remains 18% lower per resident than in 2010 despite some increases since the pandemic.

In June, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pledged an overhaul of the council grant system to simplify the funding formula and shift resources towards the most deprived areas. While welcomed by urban councils, rural authorities have raised concerns that redistribution could “overcompensate” and leave them exposed.

Cost of servicing debt

Separate analysis by the Times found that councils across Great Britain now spend the equivalent of a fifth of council tax revenues on servicing their debts. Annual interest costs are estimated at over £4bn – more than the combined national spend on emergency housing and libraries, culture and tourism.

The Local Government Association’s finance spokesperson, Cllr Pete Marland, said council finances “remain in a fragile position”, adding: “A sustainable, long-term financial model for local government must lead to all councils having adequate resources to meet growing cost and demand pressures.”

The local picture

Epsom and Ewell’s £64.4m debt may appear modest compared with Surrey County Council’s £1.07bn, but both authorities – like councils nationwide – must balance their budgets each year while contending with higher borrowing costs, reduced grant funding and rising demand for services.

With 30 more councils seeking exceptional financial support from government this year, including permission to use loans or asset sales to cover day-to-day spending, the pressure on local finances is set to remain intense.

The table below lists all of Surrey’s districts highest debt first for 2024/2025:

The future of Swail House in Epsom, a landmark housing estate for visually impaired people, has become the subject of debate as residents and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) present differing perspectives on redevelopment plans.

Swail House, opened in 1952 and named after Martha Swail, was one of the first estates in the UK designed specifically for blind people. With flats laid out to aid navigation, landscaped grounds, and facilities for social activities, it was hailed as a flagship initiative. Over time it has included social rooms, a restaurant, and a Chelsea Flower Show award-winning garden.

Residents’ Concerns

Some residents and supporters have voiced fears that redevelopment will diminish the estate’s original character and reduce the number of flats for visually impaired tenants. They argue that facilities such as communal spaces, gardens, and the on-site Epsom & Ewell Talking Newspaper (EETN) studio, which has operated from Swail House for over 40 years, are at risk.

Complaints have also been made about the consultation process, with claims that residents’ questions have gone unanswered and that accessible formats, such as tactile scale models of proposed buildings, have not been provided.

Russell Bailey, Chair of the Swail House Association for the Visually Impaired, told the Epsom and Ewell Times:

“We are very keen for the development to go through. We are not so keen about the way it’s being done – i.e. selling off land to pay for the new development – and we are certainly not keen with the fact that there’s going to be fewer flats for visually impaired people. If the RNIB were more financially secure, they could have lent money against the value of the property, kept the land, and built more flats.

I don’t think residents feel they have had the opportunity to input into how it’s going to develop. One real concern is that there will be no communal lounge and no facilities for recording the Epsom newspaper which has been going for many years.”

RNIB’s Position

The RNIB, however, says it has engaged with tenants and will continue to do so. Kathryn Sherratt, RNIB’s Chief Financial Officer, said:

“In March 2025, RNIB submitted an outline planning application to redevelop land at the back of Swail House to build 48 units, and we’re currently waiting for a decision on the planning proposal.

RNIB has consulted with tenants on the planning proposal and will continue to share information and consult as the proposals develop, subject to the outcome of the planning decision.”

Wider Concerns

Supporters of the estate point out that Swail House is more than just a residential complex. Its natural grounds provide quiet areas for guide dogs and for residents to experience sounds of nature in place of visual cues. Campaigners say this unique environment is at risk if large sections of the site are sold.

Local residents outside Swail House have also raised objections to the design and scale of the proposed development, citing environmental and aesthetic impacts.

Next Steps

The future of Swail House now rests with Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s planning process. Whatever the outcome, the debate highlights tensions between the need to modernise housing stock and preserve the historic vision and facilities that made Swail House a pioneering model for visually impaired people more than 70 years ago.

Image: Swail House aerial – Google Maps.

Epsom schools have been celebrating another strong year of GCSE results, with both Glyn School and Rosebery School reporting exceptional performances from the Class of 2025.

At Glyn School, 86% of students achieved grade 4 or above in English and Maths, with 66% reaching grade 5 or above. Disadvantaged pupils also excelled, with 84% attaining grade 4 or better in the core subjects. Among the top performers were Joshua Ellis (eight grade 9s and three grade 8s), William Unsworth (eight grade 9s), and Frederick Browning (eight grade 9s). Twins Hamish and Oscar Donald also secured a string of solid passes, while Chelsea Football Club player Reggie Walsh managed to complete seven GCSEs alongside making his debut for the club’s first team.

Students reflected on the hard work behind their achievements, with Nicholas Cooper noting: “It was hard work but worth it,” and Joshua Ellis adding: “I’m really happy with my results, and I want to thank my teachers for helping me achieve them.”

Headteacher Jo Garrod praised the determination of staff and pupils, while James Nicholson, CEO of GLF Schools, described the outcomes across the trust as “a fantastic set of GCSE results.”

Meanwhile, at Rosebery School, the celebrations were equally jubilant. One in three exam entries was awarded a top grade 9 or 8, and half of all results fell between grades 9 and 7. Ninety-one per cent of students achieved grade 4 or higher in both English and Maths, and more than 80% reached grade 5 or above. In Maths and Science alone, Rosebery girls achieved 128 grade 9s.

Individual highlights included Iris Aryeetey and Eilidh McFarlane, who each achieved ten grade 9s, while twins Grace and Hannah Black amassed a remarkable 15 grade 9s and five grade 8s between them.

The school’s overall performance set new records, with an average grade of 6.4 and an Attainment 8 score of 64. Headteacher David Lach said the results placed the cohort among the top 5% of schools nationally and praised both staff and pupils for their resilience during what he described as a “tragic and difficult academic year.”

With both schools celebrating record results following last week’s strong A Level outcomes, Epsom students appear to be ending the summer term on a high.

Related reports:

Epsom’s boys’ and girls’ schools celebrate A level results

Photo: Rosebery girls celebrate. Credit: GLF Schools

Epsom & Ewell’s MP, Helen Maguire, has called for urgent action on social care after visiting Epsom Hospital’s accident and emergency department this week.

The Liberal Democrat MP met hospital staff and health professionals to discuss the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Plan. She said her visit underlined the “unimaginable pressures” faced by staff and patients as a result of overcrowding and long waits.

According to figures from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, the average stay in A&E at Epsom during 2024/25 was 5 hours and 41 minutes. For patients admitted, the average length of stay rises to nearly 10 days. Some patients with mental health needs remain in the emergency department for extended periods due to difficulties securing appropriate care.

Maguire said she was concerned at the sight of patients being treated in corridor beds — something NHS staff acknowledged as a consequence of space shortages and wider pressures across the system.

Welcoming the government’s forthcoming NHS 10 Year Plan, Maguire argued that improvements in social care were essential to tackle the problem of so-called “bed-blocking” — where patients who are medically fit to be discharged remain in hospital because no suitable care arrangements are available.

“Hospitals like Epsom, in my constituency, face unimaginable pressures as a result of years of mismanagement under the previous Conservative government,” she said. “If this Labour government are serious about ending the bed-blocking crisis and improving patient outcomes, they should listen to the Liberal Democrats and put social care front and centre of the NHS 10 Year Plan. We cannot fix our NHS unless we fix the crisis in social care.”

She also praised the efforts of Epsom and St Helier staff: “I want to pay tribute to all of the wonderful staff at Epsom Hospital, and across the Trust, who work tirelessly to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients under incredibly testing circumstances.”

Local pressures in national context
Epsom and St Helier hospitals have faced longstanding challenges with ageing estates, high demand, and difficulties in discharging patients into community or residential care. The Trust has been working on plans to modernise services, including proposals for a new specialist emergency care hospital in Sutton, while maintaining district services in Epsom and St Helier.

Nationally, the issue of delayed discharges has been identified by successive governments as a major factor behind hospital overcrowding. NHS England data for 2024 showed that more than 12,000 hospital beds across the country were occupied each day by patients who no longer needed acute care, but who could not be discharged safely.

Health experts say shortages of social care staff, funding pressures on local councils, and a rising elderly population have combined to make the problem worse. The government has promised its NHS 10 Year Plan will set out reforms aimed at shifting more care into the community and improving integration between health and social care.

Epsom’s two prominent secondary schools, Rosebery and Glyn, are celebrating outstanding A-level and vocational qualification results, with this year’s achievements marking new highs in performance and student destinations.

At Rosebery School, staff and students are celebrating the school’s best-ever Key Stage 5 results. A-level attainment, vocational outcomes and overall achievement surpassed last year’s record figures, with 36% of entries graded A* or A, 70% awarded between A* and B, and 88% graded A* to C. Vocational entries averaged a Distinction.

Among the highest achievers were Sadie Smith (A* in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry – now heading to Durham University to study Mathematics), Bethany Hatton (A* in Biology, Chemistry and Maths – Biochemistry at Warwick University), and Raadhika Wenham (A* in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology – Zoology at the University of Nottingham). Other top performers included Jessica Sheehy, Dasha Botha, Lily Browning, Stacey Boamah, Kate Blackall and Esther Scott, each with two As, and Issy Carter, who achieved a Distinction in both vocational qualifications.

Headteacher David Lach praised the “remarkable resilience, determination, and talent” of the Class of 2025, noting that students leave as “empowered, confident young women ready to make their mark on the world”.

Glyn School also reported a strong year, with nearly half of all grades at A*–B. Standout results included Faris Al-Ugaily (A* in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics – Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London), Brody Skinner and Lewis Ashworth (both achieving A* in Physics, Further Maths, Maths and the EPQ, with Ashworth progressing to Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University), and Eleanor Weston (A* in Biology, A in Chemistry and Maths – Biomedical Science at Newcastle University). Olivia Buchanan (A* in Geography, A* in Psychology, A in Politics and A* in EPQ) will study Law at the University of Exeter, while Head Boy Donovan Livesey (A* in English Literature, A* in Sociology, A in Media Studies, A* in EPQ) will study Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

Glyn Headteacher Jo Garrod described the results as “a testament to hard work, determination, and the support of our exceptional staff” and said she was delighted to see so many students securing places at their chosen universities, apprenticeships and career pathways.

Both schools are part of the GLF Schools Multi-Academy Trust. Chief Executive James Nicholson congratulated staff, students and families, saying he was “delighted” with the impressive achievements across the board.