Hackney students pick up their A-level results

Schools in Hackney interrupt their summer holidays today as students gather to collect those all-important A-level results.

Further reforms this year mean grades for 12 more subjects are now based solely on a student’s performance in their final twelve months, rather than the old combination of coursework, AS and A-levels, which is being phased out.

Similar changes were introduced last year for 13 other subjects – with the government’s intention to make exams more rigorous.

But the upheaval hasn’t put off students at Urswick School Sixth Form Academy, where they are celebrating a 100 per cent pass rate.

Fifty-five per cent achieved top grades of A*-B – an increase of 12 per cent compared to last year – and more than three quarters of students earned A*-C grades.

Minh Trinh was thrilled after getting a hat-trick of A grades in Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

He said: “I want to thank all my teachers for helping me through my journey.”

Minh will now go off to the University of Manchester to study Electrical Engineering.

Another star performer was Olga Arslan, who picked up three As in Psychology, English Literature and Sociology.

Olga has secured a place at the London School of Economics (LSE) to study Sociology, and said: “I am so excited to be going to LSE with three As.

“I’d like to thank all my teachers that have helped me, I’m now one step closer to my dream of become a human rights lawyer.”

Urswick’s “delighted” executive headteacher Richard Brown said: “We have a small sixth form which offers personalised teaching.

“This is resulting in an ever increasing number of top grades. The number of students achieving A* to B grades is up for the third consecutive year.

“This is testament to the hard work of the students and the dedication of our teachers.”

Our Lady’s Convent High School is also celebrating a number of success stories today.

Jenna Colaco is heading off to Oxford University after achieving three As in Classical Civilisation, English Literature and History.

Jenna said her seven years at the school had “gone quickly”, adding: “It seems so bizarre to actually be leaving school and leaving home.

“I’ve had the privilege of some wonderful teachers who inspired me greatly, especially my English teacher Mrs Detain.

“I’ve really loved studying Shakespeare and Chaucer as well as classical texts such as the Iliad and Aeneid, it helped reaffirm my choice of studying literature to degree level.

“Next month I’m really excited to be starting at the University of Oxford to read Classics and English.”

Other notable performers include Mandy Tan, who received three A*s in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, securing a place at University College London (UCL) to study medicine, and Mary Karayel, whose A*AB grades in English Literature, Geography and Politics have earned her a place at York University.

Mary, who will study English, wants to go into either publishing or journalism.

Cardinal Pole Catholic School continues to build on last year’s ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted with another improved set of results today.

Eighteen per cent of students got A*-A grades, 54 per cent A*-B, and 88 per cent achieved A*-C – a significant increase on 2017.

Jedidiah Ubaldo put in an exceptional performance, with three A*s in Maths, Further Maths and History.

Jedidiah, who will go on to read Maths at UCL, said: “I’m still in shock. But it would not have been possible without the support from the Maths and History departments which have pushed me to do my best.

“I’m excited to see where life leads me!”

Onder Kilinc also shone with an A* in Maths and two As in Further Maths and History, and will take a gap year to apply for universities in America.

He said: “It is only through the help of my amazing teachers that such results were possible. This year has been such a rollercoaster and I am very glad to have come out the other end intact.

“I look forward to studying in the US – one of my greatest ambitions.”

Executive headteacher Jane Heffernan added: “Our students on vocational courses also continue to flourish, securing excellent outcomes and progression choices, including gaining admissions to competitive courses such as Midwifery, Nursing and Primary Education.

“It was also good to see students taking up some of the many opportunities for work and apprenticeships such as working within Business, Engineering and Legal Industries.

Heffernan said the results are “an outcome of collaboration between all in the school community and a great deal of planning” from staff and students.

She went on to say: “We are grateful also to the support of our parents and governors and we are delighted to see the hard work of all involved has had such positive outcomes.”

Twenty-five per cent of students at Stoke Newington School have achieved A*-A grades – the highest ever number to do so.

The overall pass rate at the school is 99 per cent, and 80 per cent of students earned top grades between A* and C.

Individual successes include two A*s and an A for both Malaika Green-Okoloba, who will study Psychology at Sussex University, and Bella Branch, who will take the same degree at Bristol.

Headteacher Annie Gammon, who will take up the role of Hackney’s Director of Education next month, said: “We are delighted to see these brilliant achievements from all our sixth form students in both A level and vocational courses.

“They, and their teachers, have worked hard and deserve this success.

“We have more and more students wanting to join our sixth form, with applicants from across Hackney and other London boroughs.”

She added: “We make a point of providing excellent teaching and tailored support for all our students.”

The 26-student Year 13 cohort from North Bridge House Senior School is toasting a great set of results after two years of hard work.

A number of pupils achieved a clean sweep of A*-A grades, including Arpi Saruhanyan, whose A* in Maths and As in Physics and Further Maths have secured her a place at the University of Exeter to study Astrophysics.

Economics is a particularly popular choice of degree at the school this year, with three students off to study the subject – Josh Tucker (AAA) at Nottingham, Sepehr Edalation (AAB) at Queen Mary’s and Yusif Cahusac (AAAB) at King’s College London.

Headteacher Jonathan Taylor said: “These results, across a wide breadth of challenging subjects, are testimony to the commitment of both students and staff.

“Whilst we are obviously delighted for the students holding a clutch of A grades, it is also a great source of pride that several students who had struggled with GCSEs elsewhere have been able to turn around their academic trajectory and are now embarking on university courses of their choice.”

Clapton Girls’ Academy (CGA) is celebrating another “fantastic” results day, with students achieving a 100 per cent pass rate and 85 per cent A*-C grades.

The school says the grades are likely to be good enough to put it in the top 10 per cent of sixth forms in the country.

Both A-level and BTEC results were above the national average for girls.

Outstanding individual performances include Lauren Zell-Huxley’s three A*s.

Lauren, who will now study Mathematics at Bristol, said: “The maths and science departments are so amazing. All of the support is there to make sure that you get the grades you need.”

Sumayya Patel, one of the school’s highest GCSE achievers in 2016, maintained her excellent track record by gaining one A* and three As.

She will read History at University College London.

Sumayya said: “At CGA, the teachers really go the extra mile for you. They are so supportive and have helped me so much.”

Headteacher Anna Feltham said: “We are delighted to be celebrating such fantastic results. Our students displayed outstanding commitment and determination when facing the challenges of the new A-level and BTEC exams.

“It is great to see that all of the hard work from students and our amazing staff has paid off.”

Students at BSix College were treated to a bit of glitz and glamour as Kidulthood actor Adam Deacon turned up to show his support, joined by Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville and his deputy Anntoinette Bramble.

They heard a range of success stories, including David Kasinskas’ A* and two As and Ernestina Hansen’s A* in Sociology and Bs in Business and Economics.

The school paid tribute to Hansen, calling her a “true example of a resilient young woman” after a difficult year personally.

BSix’s new principal Kevin Watson is eager to build on these positives.

He said: “Our aim is to ensure that the kind of excellence seen this year in pockets becomes the norm across all areas of the curriculum.

“The tailor-made study programme, strengthened tutorial system and extended range of extra-curricular activities in place for the coming academic year will hopefully provide a springboard for still better results next summer.”

Students at New City College (NCC), formerly Hackney Community College, delivered a 100 per cent pass rate in ten subjects.

High-achievers included Nim Chi-Chao, who secured an A* and two As to guarantee his place at Imperial College, London, where he will study chemistry.

Mohammed Arafat Ali picked up three As and is considering where to read economics at university, and Maisha Ahmed Choudhury achieved A*, A and B grades and will go to University College London to study Social Sciences.

Gerry McDonald, NCC’s group principal, said: “Well done to all our students today who have worked so hard to achieve these impressive individual results.

“It gives me great satisfaction to share in their joy when they open their results and witness the rewards of their hard work.

“I am particularly looking forward to the opening of our new Attlee A-level Academy this September which will offer our communities an exciting new dedicated centre focused on delivering high A-level achievement.”

The second sixth form cohort to graduate from the new Skinners’ Academy lived up to the school’s ‘Be the best you can’ motto, achieving a 100 per cent pass rate in 21 subjects.

Seventy-four per cent of students surpassed their target grades, with Berfin Kama (AAA) and Armend Bajraktari (A*A*C) stand-out performers.

Berfin will be studying Economics with Philosophy at the University of Leeds, while Armend will up sticks to Oxford Brookes to read Architecture.

Principal Tim Clark said: “Our new sixth form is going from strength to strength and we are pleased that the hard work and persistence of our Year 13s has resulted in progression onto some excellent UK universities, with some students having started quality apprenticeships.

“We wish them all the best for the future and encourage them to keep in touch. Some are already lined up to attend our careers fair in the autumn, to encourage current students to continue to ‘be the best they can’.”

Sixty-eight per cent of students at Petchey Academy achieving at least three A*-C passes, with more than a third earning three A*-B grades.

The school is particularly proud of its results in Maths – the most popular subject among this year’s cohort – as more than half of students picked up A*-B grades.

Keegan Desouza put in a notable turn with an A* and two As in Economics, Maths and Computer Science – he’s off to Manchester University to study the latter.

Furkan Pirbudack achieved an A* and an A in Maths and Further Maths, as well as B and C in Computer Science and Physics respectively.

Furkan will now head to Surrey University to study aerospace engineering.

Principal Olivia Cole spoke of her pride in her Year 13s, saying: “Some of the students have had to overcome significant challenges during the course of their studies so it’s wonderful to see them achieve their goals and going on to university or secure valuable apprenticeship placements.

“Our emphasis on participation throughout students’ academic career at Petchey, plus opportunities such as our Career Ready programme and partnership with Bloomberg, mean that students have plenty of exposure to the world of work to help them to choose the right path for their next steps.”

Forest School is also celebrating another successful year, with half of all grades at A*-A.

The overall number of A*s is up more than 5 per cent on last year, reaching its highest point since 2011.

Four in five students have secured a place at their chosen university, another improvement compared to 2017, and 10 of them will head off to either Oxford, Cambridge or a highly competitive medical course at another top institution.

There was a couple of spectacular individual performances.

Grace Oswald, who has already started her studies at UC Berkeley in the US, achieved a clean sweep of four A*s.

And Zoe Kundu has gained a place at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University – one the most competitive courses in the country.

Zoe’s success makes it the seventh year in a row that a Forest pupil has won a scholarship to a conservatoire.

The Warden of Forest School, Marcus Cliff Hodges, said: “Our continued focus on developing the best learning characteristics in our pupils is paying off once again, with Forest students achieving outstanding results whilst balancing their studies by engaging fully with everything on offer at Forest outside the classroom.”

The wider picture

Across the country, the percentage of exams awarded A or A* is at its highest for six years – just over one in four.

However, the proportion of students earning A*-C grades has fallen to 78.4 per cent, down from 79 per cent in 2017.

The overall pass rate in England is 97.6 per cent, dropping slightly from 97.9 per cent.

University admissions service UCAS says more than 353,960 people from across the UK have been accepted so far – a two per cent decrease compared to last year.

A record 16.1 per cent of people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been accepted, a rise of 0.4 per cent on 2017.

But the gap between the most and least advantaged groups remains the same.

UCAS chief executive Clare Marchant said: “Congratulations to everyone celebrating today. It’s time to look forward to the next few years, a journey that’ll be full of rewarding study, independence, and new friends.

“The increase we’re seeing in the proportion of young people placed from disadvantaged backgrounds is excellent news.

“However, the continuing gap between the most and least advantaged is frustrating, and we’ll keep on working with universities to help them evaluate their outreach activities to impact the most disadvantaged students.”

Marchant also advised students preparing to use the Clearing system to “take some time to visit universities and colleges in the next few days”.