Sixth Form students were celebrating record-breaking A-level results today. The group of 135 students achieved a 99% pass rate for all the exams entered, 57% of which were awarded grades A or B. Both results set new records for the school.
Zach Blunden-Codd gained five straight A grades – in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths, and in an additional Maths AS. He also gained the top grade in two extension papers, designed to help universities distinguish the most able students. Zach is currently spending nine weeks in Uganda on a charity project, and returns to study Physics at Durham University.
This has been a year group with real character. I am delighted that our students have done so well and would like to congratulate them on their results. We were expecting great things from them, and we set high academic targets. They have exceeded even our high aspirations, and their commitment to the community and to each other has been impressive. They are a very talented and thoughtful group of young people.
They all worked very hard, as demonstrated by the fact that over 81% of all the exam entries were awarded grades A-C. Outstanding results such as these are not easy to come by: they reflect students’ determined and sustained commitment to their studies, and the strong support offered them by their families. They also bear witness to the very positive relationship that exists between students and their teachers.
I also congratulate the teachers who have guided and supported our students in such an outstanding way. It is impressive that, In Biology, Chemistry and Maths, almost half the students gained A grades in those subjects.
Mr Adam Osborne, Head of Sixth Form, said “This has been an excellent year group who have been a pleasure to work with. Almost all students have gained their first choices at university. About twenty students are spending gap years in Ghana, Chile, New Zealand, Zambia, Kenya and Honduras”.
Stuart Stokes gained four straight A grades, also in the Sciences and Maths and goes on to read Medicine at Sheffield. A further eleven students gained three A grades: Jessica Bannister (Warwick, Law and Sociology), Stephen Courtney (Kent, History), Jessica Ellis (Bristol, Medicine,), Ben Hanton (Bath, Sport and Exercise Science), Becky Holden (Keele, Physiotherapy), Sarah McDonald (Notts, English and Theology), Simon Morgan (Theatre School London, Art Education), Lydia Stables (Gap Year), Catherine Stimpson ( York, PPE), Jessica Wong (Downing College Cambridge to read Medicine), and Ellie Worley (Loughborough, Retail Management).
A further 17 students gained at least two A grades: Jordan Abbott, Rachael Brooks, Joanna Davies, Josephine Gibson, Charlie Hammans, Sophie Mabbitt, Kate Mahoney, Ali McNeil, Joely Mead, Bethany Mercer, Georgina Morgan, Charlie Poyner, Andrew Shaw, Hugh Stimpson, Edward Terry, Chris West and Susan Zwinkels.
Sam Albanie goes to Magdalen College Oxford to read Engineering, and Jessica Wong to Emmanuel College Cambridge to read Medicine. In addition to Stuart Stokes and Jessica Ellis, a further three students are going on to read medicine: Rachael Brooks (Manchester), Jonny Ramsden, (Molecular Medicine at Sussex) and Lucy Thomas (UCL).

Total number of students in Year 13 135
Total number of A2 entries 398
Total number of pass grades 395
Pass rate % 99.2%
% of A2 entries at grades A or B 57.3%
Average A2 points score per entry* 226.1
Average A2 points score per student** 702.9

AS Grade A2
135 A 270
120 B 240
105 C 210
90 D 180
75 E 150

The UCAS points score for each grade is awarded as follows:
*This points score is calculated by adding together the points score
of each entry at A2 and dividing by the total number of entries (398).

**This points score is calculated by adding together each student’s
A2 score and dividing by the total number of students. Most students take three A-levels; some take two and a few take four. Thus an average A2 points score of 703 means that, on average, every student gained two B and one C grades.

***This points score includes the fourth AS grade that students took in Year 12.

Nick Taunt, Headteacher