Top marks for 22 high-flying East Renfrewshire pupils

Outstanding successes recognised by Councillors

Pupils' top marks

Published: 9 February 2023

The achievements of East Renfrewshire pupils who gained top marks in their exams have been celebrated.

A total of 22 pupils from across the area achieved either 100% or the best mark in Scotland in a wide range of subjects during the most recent SQA exams. 

And four of those pupils have been recognised with prestigious awards from industry-recognised organisations for their outstanding successes.

St Ninian's pupil Caiden Garioch won the Mary Somerville Prize from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) Scottish Board after achieving full marks in his Higher Maths exam. Fellow St Ninian's pupil Areej Shaukat was recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry for scoring 100% in her National 5 Chemistry paper. Woodfarm High's Lily Frame was awarded a prize from the Modern Studies Educational Trust for being one of the four highest achieving candidates in Scotland for Higher Modern Studies. Sarah Fulton, also from Woodfarm High, received an award from the Royal Society of Biology for the top Higher Biology mark in Scotland.

All of the pupils were congratulated on their success at a recent meeting of East Renfrewshire Council's Education Committee.

Councillor Andrew Anderson, Convener for Education, Equalities, Culture and Leisure, heaped praise on the amazing feat of all 22 pupils who achieved top marks in their exams.

Councillor Anderson said: 'The performances of all our children and young people continue to go beyond all expectations, but to achieve 100% in any exam is quite simply incredible. I'm delighted for all of the pupils who achieved this fantastic feat and it was great to have the opportunity to congratulate them at Education Committee. The success of our pupils is directly linked to their exceptional efforts and resilience and the support and care of their parents and our dedicated staff, without whom these achievements would not be possible. The achievements are made even more remarkable when you consider the significant disruption all our pupils have had to content with over the last few years due to the impact of the pandemic. We are committed to providing excellent experiences for all our young people to set them up for the next stages of their lives and it's fantastic to hear these amazing success stories.'

The other young people recognised were 13 pupils who achieved 100% in National 5 Exams. They were St Ninian's High pupils Milena Krizova (French), Ava Bell (Geography), Pranav Aluri (Maths), Priyadarshini Datta (Maths), Amna Farid (Maths) and Joshua Yip (Maths); Katie Wood (History), Erin Kelly (Geography) and Blair Dobbins (Geography) from Barrhead High; Saad Khalid (Geography) from Mearns Castle High, Lauren McCarthy (History) from Woodfarm High; and Emma McLennan (Maths) and Omar Muazzan (Maths) from Williamwood High.

Also achieving amazing success at Higher were St Luke's High's Katie Dunne (Geography) and Williamwood High's Cameron Deverill (Music). And at Advanced Higher, Katie Jeffrey and Darcy Dornan from Williamwood High got top marks in Art, as did Nina Carruthers from St Ninian's High.

The IFoA Scottish Board was established in 2010 at the time of the merger between the Institute of Actuaries and Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland. The Scottish Board has the responsibility of maintaining and continuing to stimulate a robust and vibrant actuarial community in Scotland, as well as encourage, advance, and support education and research in actuarial science and related subjects in Scotland.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the industry body which aims to advance excellence and shape the future of the chemical sciences for the benefit of humanity. The Royal Society of Biology is the leading professional body representing the diverse landscape of the biological sciences. The Modern Studies Educational Trust promotes Modern Studies-based learning opportunities and seeks to recognise excellence in Modern Studies.

Last modified on 2 March 2023