A Level success not stress

A Level success not stress

Our students have achieved an impressive range of A Level results this year with a 99% overall pass rate, 69% achieving high grade passes (A* to B) and nearly half celebrating A*/As. As a non-selective school these results are particularly notable as they demonstrate how the non-pressurised approach we take to exams pays dividends.

Headmaster Iain Kilpatrick commented on this year’s outcome and said: “We are delighted with such an impressive set of results. However the good grades only tell part of the story, giving one measure of the School’s performance. At Sidcot we are not just an exam factory. We are determined to provide a broad and balanced education that fosters a love of learning and develops the important qualities of critical thinking and resilience that will prepare students for life.”

There were a number of standout results including Jack Slingsby who achieved top marks with three A* and an A* in the Extended Project Qualification. Jack is heading to prestigious Durham University to read Computer Science, planning a career in the computer science research field.

Head boy Tom White, who is just back from 24 performances at the Edinburgh Fringe with Sidcot’s Hurly Burly Theatre Company, was delighted with his AAB. Tom is off to the University of Exeter to study Business and Accounting where he will join two former Sidcot Head boys also studying there. Kerrin Turner, also back from Edinburg, and shortly to take up work as a dresser at the Bristol Hippodrome, is off to Nottingham Trent to do costume design, her first choice. “I’ve done better than I’d ever dreamed!”

Lewis Woods is celebrating two A*s and an A which secures his place at the University of Warwick to read Physics. While Laura Gregory’s two As, a B and an A* for the EPQ secured her a place at the University of East Anglia to study Geography, potentially leading to a career in air traffic control or meteorology.

Fittingly George Wayne, with an A* and two As, is going to the University of York to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics as he ‘wants to understand why the world is the way it is’. Like many Sidcotians before him, George is considering a career in the Third Sector.

A number of curriculum areas delivered flawless performances, in particular the sciences and languages coming up trumps with 100% achieving A*-B grades. Sixteen students are celebrating their achievement of A* grades in Further Maths.

Headmaster Iain Kilpatrick concludes: “I am very proud of our students’ exam success – well done to you all. I’m equally proud that these students leave Sidcot bearing our hallmark of self-awareness and confidence that will set them in good stead for their future.”