Private School News

Celebrations underway as the class of 2009 record best ever A level results!

Celebrations are well under way at Christ College Brecon, whose pupils have this year achieved the best A level results ever recorded at the school. Over 75% of all grades were A or B, representing a 2% improvement on last year’s results.

All Oxbridge bound
Eleven candidates achieved straight A grades in 3 or more subjects and these outstanding results mean that Christ College leavers are now set to head off to a range of top universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter, Durham and York, to study a range of subjects from Engineering to Oriental Languages and from Politics to Marine Biology.

Four pupils, including local pupils Tom Blackburn and Josh Gaskell from Brecon, gained the grades required by either Oxford or Cambridge, heading off to study Engineering, English, Philosophy and Theology.

Other local pupils who did exceptionally well in achieving straight A grades were Ben Evans from Cradoc, Tiggy Llewellyn from Tefeitha near Brecon, Emily Sullivan from Cantref near Brecon and Joshua Spencer from Trawscoed near Brecon. Joshua stayed up late into the night to obtain his results as he is currently on a Gap Year, working at Christ’s College, Christchurch in New Zealand.

David Evershed from Aberystwyth, who joined Christ College Sixth Form in September 2007 from Penglais Comprehensive, also achieved 3 A grade passes.

Ben and his mum celebrate
As in previous years, the Maths and Science departments performed particularly strongly, with 80 per cent of all entries in Maths and Science graded A or B. In Maths and Further Maths, 15 out of the 18 examination entries achieved grade As.

The school’s science results are particularly pleasing in the light of the continuing and worrying trend nationally away from scientific subjects at A level and degree level.

Earlier this year, Christ College opened the new £1.5 million state-of-the-art Hubert Jones Science Centre in memory of a former pupil who left the school a multi-million pound bequest. In addition to awarding a range of science scholarships and bursaries, Christ College will be awarding the prestigious Penn Science Scholarship, sponsored by Penn Pharmaceuticals in Tredegar, to a new Sixth Form pupil this September.

Head Emma Taylor is delighted with the results.
Other groups producing remarkable results were pupils in Art and Photography, where 96 per cent of grades were at A or B level, and Religious Studies where 90 per cent of pupils achieved A or B grades.

Head, Emma Taylor, expressed delight at these results. She said: “It is wonderful to be celebrating excellent results and record-breaking statistics, but these are not just numbers, they are the final key to open the door to universities and futures for some very worthy and delightful young people, whose qualities and skills go way beyond what can be measured in the examination room. They also represent a fitting reward for the exceptional work of the pupils themselves and of the talented and committed teaching staff at Christ College.”

She added: “I share the scepticism expressed by many in the educational profession about statistics and league tables; what counts is that each pupil has been encouraged, challenged and nurtured to allow them to find their interests and fulfil their potential. I am proud of each and every one of them; I know they will enjoy a well-earned party now that the results are in their hands.”

Photo: Tiggy, David, Emily and Ben all celebrate straight As!