It’s been yet another strange academic year in light of the pandemic, but A-Level students across the Isle of Wight are celebrating great success today (Tuesday).
For 2020-21, the Government decided that young people’s grades would be determined by teachers, based on work students produced throughout their course. These grades were then moderated and assessed by external exam boards which awarded the final grades.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sent his congratulations to all students and thanked them for their perseverance, recognising it has been a particularly difficult year.
Island VI Form
Island VI Form has seen some excellent results with some students getting straight A grades or double distinctions. The vast majority of students are going on to their first choice universities.
Dave Mumford, Head of The Island VI Form has said he is delighted with the individual results that have been achieved.
“We have over 150 students going on from the Island to follow a vast range of university courses including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Law and Fashion, to name just a few.
“Many students have gained entry to top Russell Group Universities across the country. Congratulations to all students on their achievements and I would like to thank parents and staff for all their support.”
Cowes Enterprise College
While all pupils have done well, there are some standout individual achievements. These include:
- Georgie Price, who received As in Physics, Chemistry and Biology as well as an A* in her EPQ, has secured a place at Sheffield University to study medicine.
- Thomas Prince, who received an A* in Biology, an A* in Geography and an A in Maths, has successfully achieved a place at Gonville and Caius College, the University of Cambridge, to study Archaeology.
- Elizabeth Cody, who has secured a place at Exeter University to study English, got 4 A*s in History, Philosophy and Ethics, English Literature and her EPQ.
- Ben Snow, who has gained a prestigious finance apprenticeship with Schroders Asset Management, got Distinction* in Economics and Business Studies.
Rachel Kitley, Principal at Cowes Enterprise College, said:
“I am incredibly proud of all our students for their hard work and dedication to their studies, they all deserve to be celebrated today.
“At Cowes, we are committed to supporting our students to pursue and achieve the best possible opportunities at every step. Whether they are going to university, or to be part of a prestigious apprenticeship scheme, we are delighted that our students’ determination has been rewarded, and excited to see what the future holds for them all.”
Christ the King College
This year students are moving onto a broad range of programmes at university including Computer Science, Midwifery, Veterinary Science, Psychology, Economics, Architecture, Law, Marketing, Medicine, Aerospace Engineering, Archaeology, Sports Coaching, English Literature and Creative writing, Pharmacy, Fashion Journalism, Visual Effects, Nursing, Film Production, Ancient History and Zoology.
Head of Sixth Form, Mrs. Hayley Conway-Hughes, is absolutely thrilled with the outcomes:
“We are so excited for the students today; they have worked unbelievably hard and deserve all of their successes. Our thanks go out to the staff team, it’s been an incredibly challenging couple of years. The standards of provision continue to be very high in the Sixth Form at Christ the King College and these results are a testament to the care and attention we offer our students. They are fantastic young people who have very exciting futures ahead of them and we wish them continued success in all that they do.”
Ryde Academy
April Egan has achieved fantastic results and secured a place to study English at Cambridge University, while Sam Muncer is off to study Psychology at University of Nottingham.
Charlie Ashley is going to study Mathematical Physics at University of Southampton. Ben Thompson will be taking up a place at Ballet Theatre UK to study for a degree in Ballet performance.
Tom Brunton is a keen sportsman and has the qualities of a great leader and team player in abundance. He has worked hard to achieve triple Distinction* in Sport and a B in EPQ. Tom is taking a gap year before he heads off to university. We are confident that he will inspire and support others to share his passion for sports.
Joy Ballard, Principal of Ryde Academy, has said:
“Congratulations to all of our students on their fantastic results. They should be rightly proud of these grades, which they have worked so very hard for. Our students have responded to the challenges of the past few months, with determination, compassion and patience.
“Whether they are going onto university, high-quality vocational courses, or employment, I am confident that they will continue to make us proud.”
Ryde School
This year Ryde School has seen 58% of A Level results graded A* or A, with over a quarter at A*, and a pass rate of 92% at A* to C. 42% of the Higher Level IB grades were at the equivalent level (6 or 7) with IB candidates securing an impressive 37.3 points average at Diploma Level (out of a maximum of 45.)
Over one third of the BTEC candidates achieved D*D*, the top grade at this level.
Particular congratulations go to last year’s Head Boy, Zac Gavin of Newport, who achieved 5x A* grades in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry and EPQ as well as high passes at STEP Maths II and III and so secures his place to read Mathematics at Cambridge. Equally impressive were Ryde based Emily Owen who also secured 5x top grades with A*s in English, History, Latin, EPQ and a 7 at IB in French and will read English at St Andrews.
Francis Fu, a boarder from Hong Kong, has been awarded A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths and EPQ. Boarders Giorgi Markhulia and Nikita Svetlakov, Liberty Turrell and Oliver Yelland, both from Wootton Bridge and Bembridge’s Charlie Walford all achieved at least 2x A* grades at A-Level and will be studying Natural Sciences at UCL, Engineering at Manchester, Geography at Manchester, Architecture at Cardiff and Maths & Computing at Southampton respectively.
There were impressive results at IB too with Charlotte MacLeod from Bembridge achieving 42 points and a place at Durham to read Geography whilst Ellie Pink’s (from Wootton Bridge) 38 points opens the way for her to study Languages at Exeter. Newport student Levi Yu achieved a double distinction in BTEC Engineering alongside top IB grades in Design Technology, Maths and Physics to gain an impressive 224 UCAS points and a place to read Robotic Engineering at Birmingham. Amongst those securing Double Distinctions at BTEC was Conor Lehmann of Shanklin who achieved his success in the Business BTEC equivalent of two A Levels after only 1 year of study.
Head Master Mark Waldron has commentedd:
‘No generation of students has been more deserving of their results than this one and I am delighted for students, teachers and parents alike with these excellent and well-deserved outcomes.
“Whilst I continue to believe we could and should have taken public exams, we worked hard to ensure that the results awarded are a fair reflection of the abilities and efforts of this year group who have been so adversely affected by the Pandemic and the Government’s confusing educational response to it. Our priority all along has been to ensure our students have had a positive experience over the last two years and are able to move on to the next stage of their education.
“With pupils off to destinations and courses as diverse as Maths at Cambridge, Music Psychology at Leeds, Law at Norwich and Science at Southampton that has clearly happened. I believe the resilience and fortitude gained in addition to the results themselves stands this generation in greater stead than many for great futures ahead”.
Platform One
Platform One students will be progressing to various universities including, Liverpool Hope University, Leeds College of Music and Bath Spa University. Many students will continue their journey with Platform One on the BA (Hons) Commercial Music that is validated by University of Chichester.
Education Director David Pontin commented;
“We are absolutely delighted with results again this year. We are proud of the achievements of each and every student. It is fantastic that our students will progress to their first choice universities, with some students progressing straight into employment. We have an incredible staff team that worked so hard this year to support our students”.
Student Amy Jolliffe achieved D*D*D* – the equivalent of 3 straight A stars at A Level. Amy commented:
“The last two years have been amazing, despite difficult times. Thank you to all of the wonderful P1 staff – I am delighted”.
Student Bethany Kidd, who also achieved D*D*D*, has said:
“Everybody has cared so much to make sure I have had the best experience, opportunities and now the best grades”.
Congratulations to you all, some may not have got what you wanted, but you’ve achieved amazing results, especially after the torid times you’ve had to work through. Well Done to you all, and good luck in the future
Well done each and every one of you and I wish you good luck for your futures and making everyone proud of you all