Private School News

Excellent A Level results at The Marist School!

Marist Senior School girls received excellent A Level results again this year, with 83% receiving grades A & B, and students achieving a 100% pass rate overall.

Sophie Morgan achieved A grades in all four of her subject areas and will go on to study English at St John’s College, Cambridge. Other high achievers include Stephanie Halksworth, Stacey Begg, Charlotte Brooks and Abigail Hobbs.

The girls also produced full marks and perfect module scores for some of their subjects. Sophie achieved full marks for English, History and Latin, Stephanie achieved full marks for English and Spanish, Abigail achieved full marks in two Art modules, and Charlotte a full module score in Art and Design.

Karl McCloskey, Headteacher, said: “Every student has worked extremely hard to achieve these outstanding results. The key formula for success is the student’s hard work, good quality teaching and supportive parents. These combined areas ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

AS Level results have also been very good and the School is delighted for all its students. Katie Horbury, Wallace Martin-Kerr, Guiseppina Magistro and Laura Fox all achieved 4 subjects at grade A. Alexandra Kyjak-Lane, Year 11, has achieved an A grade in A Level German while still in her GCSE year.

Outstanding A Level Results

Students at King Edward’s have once again performed exceptionally in their A-Levels this year, with a 100% pass rate. Well over half of all entries were awarded an A grade and an impressive 85.3% were graded A or B.

One third of the candidates achieved A grades in all their subjects, with 13 candidates achieving 4 grade As and 3 candidates gaining the top grade in 5 A-Levels! Most students have again gained entry into the top universities, with 7 pupils gaining entry into Oxford or Cambridge.

Congratulations are due to all students, who have worked extremely hard for their success and of whom the School is very proud.

Martin Boden

HEADMASTER

MORE A GRADES A YEAR EARLY WINS CHURCH HIGH PUPIL A PLACE AT CAMBRIDGE…

A 17–year-old pupil from Newcastle Church High School in Jesmond has proven to be top of her class after winning a place at Cambridge University, a year early.

Charlotte Squires-Parkin, from Gosforth in Newcastle, takes a place at Trinity College, Cambridge, a year ahead of her peer group after receiving two grade As in her physics and chemistry A Levels in one year.

Last Year, the then GCSE student Charlotte, received an A grade for her Further Maths A Level, as well as scooping an A grade in 2006 for her Maths A Level when she was just 15.

Now Charlotte has completed school a year early and will be taking a place at the University of Cambridge to study Maths in October.

Charlotte, who has been at Church High since she was 11, is no stranger to taking exams early, having completed two GCSEs in 2006 at the age of 15 and then being awarded nine further GCSEs last year.

Charlotte, said: “I found out first thing this morning and I’m very excited about going to Cambridge.

“Church High has been really supportive letting me sit exams early and I’m really happy with the school and probably would not have had the same opportunity elsewhere.

“My parents are really proud of me and have also been a great support.”

Overall the girls at Church High have achieved a 100 per cent pass rate at ‘A’ Level with nearly 40 per cent of the grades being awarded were A grades.

Two thirds of all grades were A and B grades and 86 per cent of all grades were A-C grades which is a 3.5 per cent increase on last year.

Just over one fifth of girls achieved three or more straight A grades and half of the year group achieved all A and B grades. The average number of A level entries per girl was three.

Joy Gatenby, headmistress at Newcastle Church High School, said: “Another superb year group at Church High has seen some amazing A Level results. The superb standards are testimony to the consistent hard work of both girls and staff, and my congratulations go to all the girls who are now off to study their chosen courses at university.

“Charlotte has also done exceptionally well and we are very happy that she has won her place at Cambridge to read Maths.

“We are also delighted to have once again achieved a 100 per cent pass rate and that such a large number of girls have been awarded the highest possible grades.”

A-Level results surpass expectations

The A-Level results for The Leys are:
A-C 90.2%
A-E 98%

This was a year group that was never expected to achieve the very high standards of the previous 2 years, but emerged with statistics that surpassed expectations, and deserve great credit. 19% of our candidates gained three or more A Grades, including one, Christian Meyer, who was in the top ten of all candidates for Edexcel German A-Level. I am pleased with the success of these pupils and their teachers.

Mark Slater (Headmaster)

Straight A Grades

Congratulations to all our A level students who received their results today. Over a quarter of our students attained straight A grades.

An overall pass rate of 99% was achieved.

Mrs Meek was delighted with the girls’ success saying ‘ We’re extremely proud of our students’ achievements. It’s very rewarding to see so many of our girls going on to study at their first choice of university.’

Excellent A Level results at Mount St Mary’s College

Mount St Mary’s College, the Jesuit Boarding and Day school in Derbyshire, achieved its best ever A Level results this summer. 73.1% of results were awarded A-C grades, reflecting the school’s continuing academic success. Oliver Burkinshaw (18) achieved 5 As, and is off to Cambridge to study Natural Sciences. He achieved success in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics and French. Meanwhile, Rotherham boy Adam Foster’s 3 As in Biology, Chemistry and Physics see him setting off for dentistry at Leeds, while Paul Andrzejowski, from Woodhouse, Sheffield, won his place for Medicine at Nottingham.
Boarder Charles Gregor MacGregor from Matlock also achieved 3 As and will be starting at Durham in October. Nottingham-based boarder Sophie Strongman is having a gap year then taking up her place to study Biological Sciences at Exeter.
Octavia McGlashan, who was Head Girl this year, will be studying music in London, having delighted audiences throughout her time at the Mount with her singing. Mr Laurence McKell, the headmaster, said: “I am delighted with the achievement and success of all the Mount St Mary’s pupils, in particular the increase in the number of A grades and A-C grades, which gives us our best ever performance.”
“What is even more pleasing is our value-added score,which reflects the wide ability level of our pupils.”

2008 RESULTS

This years’ A’ level results have been excellent. Our Upper 6th achieved 100% pass rate with 27% gaining an A grade, well above the national average. 60% of candidates achieved an A or B grade and 85% of candidates gained a C grade or above.

The Fifth Form are celebrating another outstanding performance this year. Just over 97% of candidates gained 5 or more grades A* – C. Nearly 50% of pupils achieved A* or A passes and the overall pass rate was 100%. Stephen Drew is ‘delighted with the success of each individual candidate. We have had another year of excellent set of results’

Smiles all round at RGSAO A-Level Success

RGS Worcester & The Alice Ottley School students were celebrating today, as news of their excellent results came through from the external examination boards.

In the first full year of the merger, the overall RGSAO pass rate (grades A-E) was as strong as ever at 99.4%, with 68% of subjects taken scoring A – B grades.

No fewer than 28 candidates achieved at least three A grades at A level, with several gaining four or five A grades, facts which support that around 85% of RGSAO leavers will expect to attain places at their first or second choice university. Indications are that 11 RGSAO students are also set to join Oxford and Cambridge Universities, which continues the strong record of the schools Oxbridge success. Fifty RGSAO students have gained places at Oxford and Cambridge universities over the last four years.

Three individuals who deserve particular mention are Chris Davis, James Burton and Shona McCaskill, all of whom received three or more As at A Level as well as a whole host of advanced extension awards in a diverse range of subjects.

The city-centre school’s strongest results over the years are still consistently in the traditionally ‘difficult’ subjects such as modern languages, technology, geography, the sciences and maths. This year was no exception seeing 100% A and B pass rates in French, Latin and Design Technology. Maths and Further Maths saw an 85% and 86% A and B pass rate respectively.

“I am delighted that the hard work of our students has been rewarded and that they can proceed with confidence to the universities of their choice,” commented Andy Rattue, RGS Worcester & The Alice Ottley School Headmaster.

“These results are a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of the RGSAO teaching staff, whose tireless attention to detail and hands on teaching style has helped our students pick their way through the A Level minefield.”

“With higher intakes to University every year, it’s never been more important to have excellent results, but also a well-rounded educational experience. At RGSAO we see academic results in the context of everything else our students are involved in, such as sport, drama, music, expeditions and charity fundraising – skills for life,” added Andy Rattue,

“It’s been a great pleasure to see these young men and women keep life in perspective and take so much of the school with them into their everyday lives. I am excited to see what the future will hold for them.”

OUTSTANDING RESULTS AT BISHOP’S STORTFORD COLLEGE

Bishop’s Stortford College strengthened its position as one of the country’s leading co-educational boarding and day school with A level records tumbling for the sixth consecutive time. 62% of A levels were awarded an A grade, 88% an A or B and 98% an A, B or C. Once again the pass rate was 100%.

Top performers included Rikesh Rajani of Harlow, who gained 6 A grades, and Terry Chou of Hong Kong, with 5 As. Rikesh heads to Cambridge University to study Natural Sciences, whilst Terry will pursue her interest in Economics at the London School of Economics.

Outstanding English student, Joanna Green, passed the Advanced Extension Award in English Literature with distinction (600/600) as well as gaining 4 grade As in her A levels. She will be combining her love of English with Philosophy at Bristol University.

An impressive total of 42 pupils (one third) gained at least 3 A grades at A level, with 11 of these achieving 4 or more A grades.

Headmaster John Trotman said, ‘We expected this hard working and talented group to do well and I am so pleased that they have lived up to their promise. Enthusiastic and very engaging young men and women, they will flourish at university and in later life. Congratulations to them and to their immensely committed teachers”.

Meanwhile at GCSE level, 39 Bishop’s Stortford College pupils, out of a year group of 94, joined the College’s ‘10 Club’ with the release of this year’s GCSE results, each gaining at least 10 A* or A grades in this year’s examinations.

65% of examinations taken were graded at A* or A (A* 30%, A 35%).

99% of pupils achieved 5 or more A*-C grades and 98% achieved 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths.

PHOTO: BSC A-level students celebrate their outstanding success

Lucky Eight for Rowing Cox Jack

Durham School 1st Eight rowing cox and Durham Eye Editor, Jack Deverson (age 16), celebrated 8 A*’s in GCSE results announced today. Jack was also awarded 1 A and 1 B grade.

Jack, a pupil at Durham School, has had a truly remarkable year, launching and editing the school’s own newspaper ‘The Durham Eye’, as well as steering the Durham School 1st Eight rowing crew to qualification for the Henley Royal Regatta (it has been 21 years since an Eight from the Durham School Boat Club has qualified for the Henley Royal Regatta). Jack also steered the school’s Boat Club to gold medal success at the Ghent Spring International Regatta, held in Belgium earlier in the year.

In this special Olympic year, launched on the Eighth Day of the Eighth Month of 2008, the number 8 has certainly proved to be lucky, not only for Team GB, but also for Jack!

GCSE congratulations also go to: Alastair Galbraith-Brown (7 A*, 2 A grades and 1 B grade), Matthew Tiffin (6 A*, 3 A grades and 1 B grade), Alex Turnbull, Josh Tognarelli and Johanna Kellett, who all achieved 5 A* grades, and James Grant, Fraser Jackson and Byong Choi, who each had 4 A* among their 10 passes.

Quote from David Goodhew, the new Deputy Head (Curriculum) at Durham School:

“Well done to this year’s GCSE candidates: their hard work, combined with good teaching, has produced a very pleasing set of results. In particular, I am delighted that so many students have significantly outperformed their target grades, demonstrating very strong ‘value-added’ across a range of subjects.”

Congratulations also to all the many other candidates who did not necessarily score the highest grades but whose excellent individual performances are a personal triumph.

PHC celebrates a record number of A Grades!

Students at The Princess Helena College are celebrating their excellent A Level exam results – with more girls than ever before gaining A Grades. Overall, 35% of all A Levels taken were awarded an A Grade and nearly 60% were passed at A-C grade.

The School is particularly pleased that all girls who studied Business achieved A Grades and are going on to study Business or Management at undergraduate level.

Not only have the pupils excelled this year, but the College too has passed its recent inspection with flying colours. The Independent Schools Inspectorate outlined that: “The school provides an environment in which each pupil is genuinely valued as an individual and offered a stimulating and enriching curriculum, together with other activities that offer varied opportunities for personal development. The pastoral care provided is outstanding.”
The ever-improving examination results are a testament to the strengths that Inspectors highlighted: “The school’s pastoral, tutorial and other support systems make a highly significant and effective contribution to academic achievement and progress and to the personal growth of pupils”

2008 has brought continued success in the creative and performing arts. For the 6th year running, all A Level Candidates excelled with 80% passing with A Grades. Two girls even gained full marks in every single one of their A2 modules – which is an outstanding result! The Art Department is delighted at the results and the fact that inspectors stated: “The aesthetic and creative curriculum, particularly art, drama, dance and music, is a particular strength of the school.” They are also thrilled that once again this year another pupil is heading for the world renowned Central St Martins to study Art.

Overall Summary
• Over a third of all exams taken being passed at A Grade (35%) – an increase of 10% compared to last year.
• For the fourth year running nearly 60% of all exams taken were passed at A or B grade (57%)
• For the second year running there was an 84% pass rate at A-C grades.
• For the fourth year running there was a 100% pass rate A-E in all subjects
• 100% of girls studying Business Studies achieved an A Grade.
• Girls studying Modern Foreign Languages, including French, German and Spanish, achieved excellent results – 100% A-B grades.
• 100% pass rate A-C in English, Geography, Religious Studies, Information Technology & Music
• For the 6th year running all A Level Art candidates excelled, with over three quarters passing with A Grades (this year; 80%)
• We are delighted that for the second year running there were ppositive value-added results, with many girls achieving as much as two grades higher than their nationally predicted A Level grades, based on Cognitive Ability Test (CAT) scores, in each subject.
• All girls are delighted to have gained places at their chosen University

SOLID A-LEVEL PERFORMANCE FROM ROSSALL

The Fylde coast’s oldest independent school has recorded a solid performance in A-Levels this year, despite growing numbers of pupils opting to take the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma in its growing Sixth Form.

Rossall School, Fleetwood has increased A-Level pass rates A-E to 92.5%, an increase of 1.5% on last year’s performance. A-B grades were 57% compared with 58% last year, which the school believes is a good, solid, performance given that a larger number of the school’s British pupils, who would have excelled at A-level, opted for IB study, in what is one of the largest Sixth Forms in the independent sector locally.

Although many pupils achieved A grades, perhaps one of the most impressive results, 4 A grades, came from Czech speaking Vietnamese boarder, Ha Phoung Nguyen, who achieved the grades needed to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University. The School believes that this is a remarkable achievement given that English is her third language behind Czech and Vietnamese, the two countries she has lived in for most of her life. However, perhaps the most pleasing result for a local pupil celebrates two C grade passes for Lytham youngster, Lewis Raines, 18, who has overcome severe dyslexia to gain the passes he needed in Media Studies and Music to go on to study for a BA in Musical Theatre at Blackpool and the Fylde College.

Lewis, who was diagnosed as dyslexic at the age of nine, received intensive tuition in Rossall’s special teaching unit to help him overcome his problem and even attended special courses in the United States to help with his dyslexia, which affected his reading, writing and speaking abilities. Said Lewis: “The School has been fantastic with me over the years and the specialist help I’ve received here has almost certainly been the reason for my A-level success. For most people only A grades would do, but for me to even get an A-Level pass would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, so I’m really proud of my achievement.

“Hopefully, I’m proof that even severe cases of dyslexia can be overcome, which might give some inspiration to others who have been in my position.”

Lewis’s mother Karen, a doctor at Weeton Army Camp is said to be “overjoyed” at the news, which could now see the plucky youngster fulfilling his ambitions to become an operatic tenor or a performer in musical theatre, once he’s bagged his degree.

Commenting on this year’s performance, First Deputy Headmaster, Fergus Livingstone said: “Lewis Raines and Ha Nguyen epitomise the spirit at Rossall and the quality of our teachers. I’m especially pleased to see pupils overcoming real adversity to gain their grades. It proves that if properly taught, motivated and encouraged any child can achieve their goals.

“As a non-selective school we believe that even pupils with a weaker academic background should be given every opportunity possible and our policy has proved to be successful. In many subjects, including mathematics, business studies, music and languages many of our pupils have achieved beyond their expectations, which is extremely gratifying.”

A-Level Results:
4 Passes
W CAI
C CHAN
G CHEN
H CHEN
D FELIX-JOHNSON
G LAU
H NGUYEN
E TAO
C VU
V ZHOU

3 Passes:
J CANNING
J DAWSON
M DOCHERTY
N FURNISS
G HOLDER-WILLIAMS
F JONES
X LI
A LIAO
A LIU
C PAI
B TENG
B TRAN
R WATT

2 Passes:
J BARKER
S BROWN
A CHAN
A FENG
S FLOOD
A MIN
L RAINES
W WANG
T VE

1 Pass:
K HIRV
S HUANG

International Baccalaureate Diploma Passes
In addition to A-levels, 39 pupils studied for and earned the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma in Rossall School Sixth Form. Many candidates passed with scores above the international average. At this level the IB Diploma is the equivalent of 4.5 ‘A’ grade passes in A-Level.

Rossall is one of a select number of school’s in the UK with lengthy experience in IB. The school’s dedicated IB department has been working with Diploma students for ten years and the school’s experience is reflected in the performance of its IB graduates, many of whom will now go on to study at some of the top universities in the UK and overseas.

Caption: There’ll be singing in the Raines household, with 18-year-old Lewis having overcome severe dyslexia to pass his A-Levels at Rossall School

Bearwood College: A-Level Results 2008

Bearwood College is delighted to congratulate its Upper Sixth Form students on their strong 2008 A/Level results, yet another improvement on the results of the previous year.

Bearwood College saw a strongly improved performance in the A/Level results for A-B grades at 48% (four percentage points above 2007 and six points above 2006), and for A-C grades at 80% (also four percentage points above 2007 and seven points above 2006).

The A-E grade pass rate was 97%. The average pass score per candidate completing two or more full A/Levels at Bearwood College is 275 UCAS points, equivalent to grades BBC. The top personal score was 530 points, the best ever individual score for the College.

Commenting on this year’s results, the Headmaster, Mr Stephen Aiano, said: “All the students in the Bearwood College Upper Sixth Form, and their teaching staff, have put in a great deal of effort and commitment over the last two years to achieve these impressive A-Level results. This fine progress is a great tribute to teachers and students alike, under the academic leadership of Ian Smith, Deputy Head (Curriculum). I am confident we shall continue to see this kind of steady long-term progress at Bearwood College.”

For Bearwood’s Second Master, Richard Ryall, seeing individuals who have been nurtured through the College exceed their academic expectations is the one of the greatest rewards a teacher can receive. “The culmination of every Sixth Form pupil’s development at Bearwood is reflected in their A-level results; our aim is to ensure that each individual is given both the academic and psychological support to fulfill their greatest potential. We are very pleased with the ‘value added’ improvement. On average, every candidate achieved 30 points beyond their UCAS expectation.”

For a local pupil, Philip Tattersall from Lower Earley, his 440 UCAS points has secured him a place at Bristol University to study Computer Science. ‘I can’t believe that the day has finally arrived and that I have the points to study at my first choice University. I am so excited and relieved!”

Bearwood College’s top-scoring A-Level candidates, Julia Retzmanik, said: “I am so pleased with these results – it’s been brilliant. They confirm my place to read English Literature and History at the University of Durham.” Julia, who was a boarder in Drake House, Bearwood’s dedicated boarding facility for female students, gained an impressive 530 UCAS points with four A grades at A2 Level, in English Literature, History, German and Psychology, on top of an AS Level in Chemistry.

Sixth Formers like Julia are provided with 360 degree support throughout their A/Level studies at Bearwood. In addition to committed subject teachers, academic progress is closely monitored by the Key Stage 5 Coordinator and the Deputy Head (Curriculum). Pastoral needs are cared for by a dedicated Tutor as well as by a Houseparent. The advice of the in-house careers service is supplemented by the resources of Futurewise, the Independent Schools Careers Organisation. Small class sizes guarantee individual attention and the Sierra Club, is a purpose-built Sixth Form centre facility designed to promote independent study as well as offer a social space for relaxation. These elements contribute to the strength of Bearwood’s unique support system which can make all the difference to pupils managing the pressures of A/Level study. Whilst ensuring academic issues are thoroughly addressed, Bearwood also helps prepare well-rounded individuals, ready for university and life beyond.

Photo:(from left) Scott Pryor, Ellie Cundy, Natasha Adkins and Philip Tattersall

Culford celebrates A Level results

Culford School has celebrated its best ever A levels results. A total of 36% of candidates achieved an A grade and 68% A and B grades. The overall pass rates are as follows:

36% A grades
68% A and B grades
82% A to C grades
99% A to E grades

Dr John Guntrip, Director of Studies, commented: “We are absolutely delighted with our A Level results, which are a testament to the hard work and dedication of teachers and pupils alike.

“The percentage of top grades was particularly pleasing, being the best we have had in recent years. And 20% of all pupils achieved at least 3 straight A grades with a whole host of others achieving a mixture of A and B grades. AS results were also extremely promising, this bodes well for next year.”

St. Clare’s Sixth Form A-level Success

St. Clare’s School, Porthcawl, Sixth Form students have again recorded an outstanding set of A-level results with 97.4% passes at grades A – E , 83% at A – C and 68% with either A or B grades.

Seven Year 13 students were awarded three or more ‘straight A’s’: Head Girl Sophia Dower achieved 4 grade ‘A’s in English, Business Studies, French and Spanish. Sophia will be studying Law with Hispanic Studies at University College London. Head Boy Rhys Martin and Ameesh Patel also achieved four straight ‘A’s – in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. Both will study Medicine (Peninsula College of Medicine and Bristol University). Emily Heard gained ‘A’s in Art, English and Psychology and will be on her way to Exeter University to study Psychology. Sally Krouma was awarded three ‘A’s in Biology, English and Spanish and will continue her study of Modern Languages at Bath University. Deputy Head Boy Thomas Mead gained three ‘A’s in French, Geography and History and will attend Exeter University to study Geography. Thomas Arthur was awarded three ‘A’s in French, ICT and Maths as well as a ‘B’ in Physics. Thomas will be studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University. Amy Harding, Charlotte Williams, Daniel Tadecicco and Laura Rowland all gained two ‘A’s and a ‘B’.

Head Teacher Catherine Barnard said, “Once again, pupils and teachers can be justly proud of these fantastic results which are due to hard work and dedication. They show a consistent level of excellence throughout the Sixth Form and indeed the whole school; based on our policy of balancing rigorous academic study with individual attention, extra-curricular activities and continuous investment in the school.”

EXCELLENT A LEVEL EXAM RESULTS AT BROMSGROVE

189 pupils at pupils at Bromsgrove School sat 651 A levels this year and achieved a record 87% A and B grades. Equally remarkable was the fact that 78 pupils achieved 3 or more A grades; 27 pupils achieved 4 or more; 14 attained 5 or more straight A grades. Over 60% of all A levels were grade A, while the A-E pass rate was 99.8%.

Outstanding subject performances included clean sweeps of 100% A grades for Latin and Additional Further Maths. In subjects with large cohorts (above twenty-five pupils) there were exceptional results, among others, for:

Further Maths with 97% A grades (36 candidates)

Art with 89% A grades (27 candidates)

Maths with 75% A grades (99 candidates)

Chemistry with 99% A and B grades (44 candidates)

Geography with 96% A and B grades (32 candidates)

Among the 78 candidates with 3 or more A’s were local Head Girl, Harriet Eales, and local twins Charles and Edward Eden who have been at the School since Pre-Prep.

Headmaster Chris Edwards commented:
“Another huge A level cohort has delivered spectacular results, justifying the Good Schools Guide’s observation that Bromsgrove inhabits the academic stratosphere. I congratulate pupils and staff while reiterating that we abhor hothousing: our sport, music, drama and titanic extra curricular programme are as important to us as these staggering grades. People wanting academic battery farms can look elsewhere: at Bromsgrove, it is breadth of opportunity and sky- high expectations which generate excellence.”

Padworth College A Level Results 2008

The Sixth form students at Padworth College maintained consistently high standards in this year’s A Level results. The overall pass rate was 100% and 75% of all entries achieved A to C grades.

Of particular note were the outstanding performances of scholars Annalise D’Souza, who gained an A grade in all her six subjects, and Zamira Monteiro, who gained 3 A grades having completed her AS and A2 examinations in just one year.

All students are going on to universities of their choice.

At AS level a number of students gained 100% in a variety of modules.

Linde Melhuish, Principal of Padworth College, said, “My colleagues and I are delighted with these AS and A Level results and are very proud of what all of our sixth form students have achieved this year. At Padworth, we endeavour to work very closely with students to achieve their individual academic goals and the results reflect our continuing success. I should like to congratulate all of the students and wish them well in the next stage of their education.”

Padworth College is a fully co-educational, non-selective school for students aged 13-19 and provides a very broad range of subjects at GCSE and A Level courses taught in very small classes with an informal atmosphere. The College is situated in between Newbury and Reading. Day student places and scholarships are available in September for A Level and GCSE Re-takes. For further details, please contact the Principal on 0118 983 2644.

Straight A’s for Durham School’s ‘Heads of School’

Durham School sixth formers, Alex Duell and David Quinn, are celebrating straight A’s in this week’s A level and AS exam results. Alex, who has held the position of ‘Head of School’ for the last year, is delighted to be celebrating together with David, who will succeed him as ‘Head of School’ in September.

At A2 level, Alex Duell, a member of Caffinites House, has been awarded straight A`s in all his subjects – English Literature, French and German and also History (AS) – an excellent set of results. On hearing the news, Alex said he was thrilled and very much hoped that he will now be offered a place at Dublin, where he wants to study languages; French and German. Alex already has an offer from Bath University, but will have to wait until Monday to hear from Dublin.

At AS level, David, a member of Poole House, has been awarded straight A`s in his exams – Ancient History, Art & Design and Music in which he gained top marks in 2 of his Music modules. He was hardly able to contain his excitement and commented, “I am absolutely delighted with my results. I am thoroughly looking forward to the new academic year and hope to repeat Alex’s success at A2 level.” He added:” Alex will certainly be a tough act to follow as Head of School, but he has passed on some excellent advice and I have a superb team of monitors to assist me in my new duties.” In the meantime, David is due to travel to Bath next week to attend the RSCM (Royal School of Church Music) Summer School, for which he was awarded an Organ Scholarship.

Alex and David have both played a huge part in the school’s successes over the past year and should be highly commended for their commitment to both their academic studies and their contribution to school life; Music, Drama and their Houses in particular.

Special congratulations also go to Sarah Jones was amongst the Top 10 candidates in the country who sat A Level German this summer, according to Edexcel, the UK’s largest awarding body. Out of 2931 candidates, Sarah achieved one of the highest overall marks. Edexcel’s Managing Director, Jerry Jarvis, said: “This is a tremendous achievement and testament to the hard work students put into preparing for their exams. We send our congratulations to Sarah.”

Head of Sixth Form, Mr Paul Gerrard, was delighted with the performance of his students. “

“All these students worked very hard and deserve their success. Our results represent a very solid improvement at the top end of the grades. A 5% improvement on our grade A percentage from last year, an 8% improvement on our A/B percentage. Overall they are our third best set of results since the new exam format came out in 2001. Another very pleasing aspect was the improvement the students showed from the percentage of A’s they scored in their L6 AS exams, to the percentage of A’s they eventually scored at A2. There was a 12% improvement in this area.”

The Assistant Deputy Head of Curriculum, John Everatt commented: “I am particularly pleased for our star students but we must not forget that there are some equally significant, or even more significant, success stories lower down the ability range where boys and girls have worked just as hard for their grade Cs, Ds and Es. It is easy to overlook their efforts.”

Photo:
David Quinn and Alex Duell ‘Talking Heads’

Excellent A-Level results at Howell’s School

The Principal, Mrs Sally Davis, said, “The school is very pleased to report another excellent set of results, which reflect the hard work and commitment of the students.”  44.6% of all the results were grade A and 33% grade B (ie 77.6% grades A and B). The pass rate was 99.6% (276 entries, 275 passes). 16 students achieved 3 or more grade As. 

The highest performing students, and their destinations, are as follows: 

Sophie Aslan       5 passes at grade A                             Imperial College, London, Physics

Harriet Rees       5    ”        ”     “    A                              Oxford University, Mathematics  

Nathan Brown      4    “        ”     “    A                             Cardiff University, Medicine 

Laura Hoddell      4    “        ”     “    A                             Durham University, Economics 

Helena Read       4    “        ”     “    A                             Oxford University, English 

Amisha Wagle    4    “        ”     “    A                              King’s College, London, Medicine 

Pia Banerjee       3   “        ”     “    A, plus 1 at grade B    Cambridge University, Law 

Lydia Lewis        3    “        ”     “    A plus Merit in History in the Advanced Extension Award (see below)

Sophie Aslan, (5 x grade A), is going to Imperial College London to read Physics, usually a male preserve.

Another student of note is our last year’s Head Student, Lydia Lewis, who gained 3 As and also a Merit in the Advanced Extension Award in History. Lydia is away travelling at the beginning of her gap year, after which she hopes to read History and Politics at university. She is a member of the Save the Children Welsh Youth Panel and has been elected by her peers on to the Global Save the Children Youth Panel. She is the first representative in this new initiative from Save the Children, the idea behind the panel being to allow young people to have a voice and to advise Save the Children on key issues and programmes in order to improve the lives of children. 

Prior Park College Opera Singers Hit the Heights

Prior Park opera singers hit the high notes, when two of the star performers from the forthcoming production of The Marriage of Figaro received their A level results today. Benedict Hastings and Alberic Elsom, gained 6 A grades between them. Other outstanding performances were by Shin-On Kang, gaining 5 A grades and Isobel Smith gaining 4 A grades and 2 A , AS grades. Heads of School, Natalie Cordon and Iheukwumere Duru gained 7 A grades between them.

Excited Upper Sixth Prior Park pupils are celebrating their success at A Level today. Measured against all previous criteria this was Prior’s best result in its history. With 44.4% A grades , a staggering 77% A & B grades (reflecting a 12% improvement on 2007 results) and 94% A-C grades. A 100% pass rate was the icing on the cake. Over a fifth of the cohort gained 3 A grades or better

The Headmaster, Dr Giles Mercer, said “Records are meant to be broken and this is a year when our students have surpassed all previous achievements. Our leavers have worked hard, heeded the advice and encouragement of their teachers and have reaped this well deserved reward. They and their teachers are to be warmly congratulated.”

Photo: Opera singers Camilla Czul, Alberic Elsom and Hettie Hobbs

The Marriage of Figaro is being performed at Prior Park College Wednesday 10 th, Thursday 11th, Friday 12th (Gala Night), Saturday 13th September. Tickets: 01225 831004. £15 (£10 students).