It was great to see so many Year 13 students in school celebrating their achievements following such an abrupt end to their schooling and the cancellation of exams. They have done enormously well to get through such a difficult period of uncertainty and we hope for many it gave some closure and some excitement of future plans.
Students had been working incredibly hard in preparation for their final examinations and, based upon their proven ability and the school’s previous attainment, were on target for great success.
We are extremely pleased that the vast majority of students have succeeded in gaining their places at university next year. Our destination figures have always been a huge strength of our Sixth Form and continue to be this year with 104 students gaining places, 46 of them to Russell Group universities. 3 students are heading off to Oxford/Cambridge and 7 students leave to study Medicine/Dentistry. Others will start degrees in a range of subjects, from Art to Engineering to Nursing.
We are equally proud of those students who have opted for another route. Some of them will be starting apprenticeships, for example in Accountancy or Electrical Engineering. Others are ready to start employment in a Social Care setting and in the Retail sector. Other students will be taking gap years and some will be studying at college. We know that they will go on to be very successful.
It was inevitable that the manner in which this year’s results were calculated and moderated by the Ofqual algorithm would lead to discrepancies and the potential for results that might seem inaccurate, confusing or unfair. We were pleased, therefore, that the decision was finally made by Ofqual and the DfE to award Centre Assessed Grades. It is disappointing that this decision was made so late, meaning that some students suffered the stress and uncertainty of being unsure about their university places. Fortunately, most of these matters have now been resolved, although BTEC students are only just starting to receive their final grades today.
We will continue to support our students and to celebrate their success; they have been a credit to the school and deserve every success.