LIVE: A-Level Results Day On The Isle Of Wight

The long wait is finally over for hundreds of Isle of Wight students - it's A-Level results day!

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Did the hard work pay off and what does the future hold? Those questions will finally be answered for scores of Island students this morning (Thursday).

After years of disruption caused by the pandemic, and to recognise the extra challenges faced by pupils, the Government has introduced a transition period. It means students are likely to receive higher grades compared to 2019.

We'll bring you coverage throughout the day from the Island's schools and colleges.

UPDATE

The Isle of Wight Council is congratulating students who have worked hard to achieve their A-level, technical, vocational, and apprenticeship qualifications this year.

Results published today are the first post-16 national exams held since 2019.

The council expects to have the full picture of results, achieved by students who sat examinations this year, in early 2023 when the final and validated data is published by the Department for Education.

Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services said:

“On behalf of the council and myself, I would like to congratulate the Island’s brilliant students for their hard work and determination.

“I would also like to extend my thanks to the many wonderful teachers and tutors in our colleges, sixth forms and our training providers who have supported young people as they have worked towards these important next steps in their careers.

“It is even more impressive knowing that this year’s cohort will not likely have sat a formal public exam before, having been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdowns. Their resilience is to be admired and will serve them well in the future. Very well done to all.”

Any young person who needs help or advice about their next options, having received their results, can speak to their school’s careers advisor or contact Island Futures, the Isle of Wight Council’s career service, on (01983) 823888.

A dedicated post exam support service will be available to call today (Thursday) on (01983) 823888, between 9am and 4pm or at any other time via email [email protected]

There is also an extensive range of careers information available online via the council’s Youth Tube site at www.iow.gov.uk/youthtube. Information on apprenticeships available in each area can be found on the council’s site or at via www.apprenticeships.gov.uk

Students who may be feeling uncertain, anxious or stressed about the future as they move on to university, employment or other training can also seek support from Young Minds who will encourage them to look after their mental health and identify when to ask for help.

UPDATED

Cowes Enterprise College

Cowes Enterprise College students and staff are celebrating some outstanding A Level results today, which will enable them to secure places at their first-choice universities, on coveted apprenticeships and selected employment.

The sixth form students at Cowes Enterprise College, which is sponsored by Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT), have achieved excellent results which reflect the hard work and commitment shown throughout their studies.

All students across the academy performed incredibly well, with some of the individual standout achievements including:

• Noah Ainslie (below) has successfully achieved A*, A*, A*, B and will be reading Maths and Physics at Manchester University

• Rachael Debenham (below) has successfully achieved A*A* A B  A*, A*, A, B and will be reading Sports Science at Bath University

• William Drake has successfully achieved A*, A, A and will be reading Mechanical Engineering at Exeter University

• Sanjay Kakurla (below) has successfully achieved A*, A*, A, A and will be reading Economics at Warwick University

• Hans Kulla has successfully achieved A*, A*, A, A and will be reading Engineering at Sheffield University

• Maya Robinson (below) has successfully achieved A*, A*, A and will be reading Liberal Arts at Leeds University

• George Robinson (below) has successfully achieved A, A, A, A and will be reading Renewable Energy Engineering at Exeter University

• Leah Thomas has successfully achieved A*, A, A and will be reading Biomedical Science at Bath University

Rachel Kitley, Principal at Cowes Enterprise College, said:

 “The results our students have achieved this year are truly remarkable, and we are so proud that all their hard work and perseverance has paid off. I know they will all go on to do some incredible things, and we look forward to following their journeys.

“I am extremely grateful to everyone who has helped our students achieve these results, including our wonderful staff and families, as well as the wider community.”

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Christ the King College

Students at Christ the King College are celebrating another record-breaking year of success.

99% of students in the Sixth Form secured passes on their courses (A* to E).

In comparison to the last externally examined cohort at the college (in 2019) A* to C grade outcomes have increased by 14%, and A* to B grade outcomes by 22%. Now more than half the students taking exams (52%) achieve all A* to B grades, 72% of all students achieved a
C grade or above.

Christ the King College students achieve (on average) C+ in their A Level qualifications and Distinctions on their BTEC qualifications. The A Level average point score has improved by 4.02 points.

Some of the highest performing subject areas were Fine Art, Further Maths and Latin, in which students achieved ‘A’ grades on average. The number achieving A* grades in Computer Science, EPQ and Further Mathematics exceeded 40%. Furthermore, students secured an average ‘B’ grade outcome in an additional ten courses, ranging from Economics to Film Studies.

(Picture: Alex Wood)

The college said it is very proud to be able to continue to offer such a broad range of subjects, all with significantly strong outcomes and rates of success for learners.

(Picture: Euan White)

Christ the King College students will be moving in all sorts of directions after school. 98% of students who applied to University have secured their places. The courses they move onto are diverse ranging from Forensic Psychology to Architecture, Law to Nursing and from International Relations to Mechanical Engineering. Several young people have sought employment, some will join the British Armed Forces and others have secured apprenticeships in a variety of disciplines.

(Picture: Oliver Paynton Jones)

The Head of Sixth Form, Hayley Conway-Hughes, is delighted with the results. She said:

“The Sixth Form has been a completely unique experience for this cohort of students. These young people never had the chance to take their GCSE exams.

"They also studied remotely for a portion of their time in the Sixth Form (as did all students across the country) which was unprecedented.

"Our students have shown great resilience throughout a particularly stressful and challenging time. We are therefore so happy to be celebrating their successes with them today. We’ve built very special bonds with these young people and feel extremely proud of them for a great number of reasons that go way beyond the envelopes they receive this morning.

"We also extend our appreciation to their families and friends, to all who have contributed to their health, wellbeing, progress and development in this time. They have been incredibly supportive of each other, we will miss them sincerely.”

Headteacher, Mr McDermott said:

"These results are testimony to the hard work over two years of both students and staff. The impact of COVID should not be underestimated and this shows the true resilience of our young people. It also demonstrates the commitment of staff throughout the pandemic to young people.

"They continued to support young people remotely and this can be seen in these fantastic results. It is fantastic to see the progress made by many of our students from entry into Year 7 through to Year 13. The results prove that the college offers exceptional provision for young people on the Island."

UPDATED

NASUWT Comments On A-Level Results

Commenting on the publication of A-level results, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said:

“Congratulations must go to pupils and their teachers who have worked so hard in uniquely challenging circumstances to secure today’s results.

“These grades are a reflection of the circumstances in which exams were held and it would be wrong and wholly inaccurate to compare these results to previous years or make comparisons about performance in relation to previous pupil cohorts.

“It will be essential for higher and further education providers and employers to recognise the challenges pupils have faced this year and to act sensitively when considering their place offers or offers of employment to young people.

“Young people due to sit qualifications next year have also faced substantial and relatively recent disruption to their learning that can and should be addressed in qualifications arrangements and in forms of wider support. This needs to include greater investment in education recovery.

“Government plans and funding for education recovery fall far below that seen in other comparable countries.

“The results achieved today were secured largely in spite of, rather than because of, the support received from Government for education recovery programmes.

“Teachers have pulled out all the stops for their pupils and after a decade of real terms pay erosion, deserve for their hard work to be matched with a restorative above-inflation pay award.”

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The Island IV Form College

The Island IV Form College said:

"We are very proud of everyone’s achievements and dedication. The results earned by the students reflect the hard work and dedication put in by students and staff over the last two years.

"The Island VI Form continues to support students to thrive in an environment that is solely focused on VI Form teaching and life, which is an excellent stepping stone to life at university, or higher level apprenticeships.

(Picture: Harley Hamerton)

"There have been some brilliant results for individual students in their A Level and BTEC studies with some students getting straight A grades or double distinctions.

"The vast majority of students are going on to their first choice universities and we are excited for them to be starting the next stage of their education."

Governors and College leadership teams are delighted that it has been another great year for the students and staff of The Island VI Form.

(Picture: Georgia Snudden)

Dave Mumford, Head of The Island VI Form, said:

“I am 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."

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Ryde School

Ryde School said:

"We are delighted to say that the A Level grades were the best results Ryde School has achieved when sitting public examinations since 2014.

"16.9% of grades were A*s, 45.1% were A*- A, and 66.9% were A*- B with over a third of pupils achieving two A grades or better. The IB grades issued earlier in the summer were also very strong with an average DP score of 34.25 points and an average of 197 UCAS points per pupil.

"The IBCP grades were equally impressive with half of students achieving a double distinction or better in the BTEC part of their programme. Looking at A Level, IBDP and IBCP results together, the average UCAS points per pupil is 145.5 which is just over the equivalent to AAA at A Level.

"There are some fantastic individual A Level performances to note. Jenna Du Preez achieved four A* grades and will study molecular biology at Imperial, Callum Jones attained three A*s and will undertake a degree apprenticeship with BAE as a radar engineer, Thomas Luke gained three A*s and will attend the Royal College of Music, Samuel Legg attained two A*s and two As and will study computer science at Bath and Joseph Edgington achieved two A*s and an A with an offer from St. Andrews to study history.

"Ben Haworth, James Knox, Ebb Phillips, Jacob Swann, Tomas Hayward, Oliver Humphray and Tomas Turjanica gained the equivalent of three As or better. They will be attending institutions such as Guildford School of Acting and Cardiff, Birmingham, Loughborough and Edinburgh Universities to study journalism, communications and politics, dentistry, physics and astronomy, chemistry and chemical engineering.

"All pupils who sat the two IB programmes received their first-choice university offers. There were some excellent individual achievements in the IB Diploma Programme. Aileen Armstrong scored 43 points (out of a possible 45) and is going to study medicine at Dundee, Elsa Wester achieved 42 points and will study natural sciences at Bath. Jackson Peace scored 41 points and will take a gap year before deciding what to do next. Jonah Pope scored a very impressive 230 UCAS points in the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) and goes on to study environmental sciences at Newcastle."

New Headmaster, Will Turner, said:

“This cohort has faced numerous challenges over the last two years so it is a credit to them and their teachers that such impressive results have been achieved.

"Pupils are going off to study a wide range of STEM courses ranging from medicine and dentistry to strategy, intelligence and security, electrical engineering and humanities courses such as history, English literature, geography and politics, philosophy and economics.

"We also have pupils leaving to study architecture, and art and design courses all of which reflects the diverse offerings fostered by the School. Credit must also go to my predecessor, Mark Waldron, for leading the School through the challenges of the last two years and ensuring that this year group received the best teaching possible despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic.

"It is also important to note that this is the first time this age group has sat public examinations given their GCSE year was in the midst of the pandemic. We all wish this cohort well as they now embark on their lives beyond the school.”

Ryde Academy

Ryde Academy is celebrating what it calls "some phenomenal results" from students.

Some of the top performers, include: 

• Toby Perkis has achieved As in English Literature, Criminology, Extended Project and B in History. He is going to university to study Law. 

• Sophie Hargreaves has achieved Distinction* in Health, Distinction in Sport and B in Sociology. She is going to university to study Sports Rehabilitation at the University of West of England. 

• Daniel Williams has achieved A in Politics and B’s in Psychology and Maths. He is going to university to study Politics and International Relations at the University of Exeter. 

• Libby-Mae Frankling has achieved As in History and Sociology, B in Extended Project and C in English Literature. She is going to the University of East Anglia to study Film and Television. 

• Gabriel Lewington has achieved As in Computer Science and Extended Project and Cs in Maths and Physics. He is going to the university of Portsmouth to study Software Engineering

This year’s sixth form results are even more impressive, given these students did not have the chance to sit exams for their GCSEs.

To support them and help prepare them for their exams, staff at Ryde Academy, which is part of AET, a national network of schools, laid on additional lessons, holiday revision, online tutoring and bespoke mentoring. 

Principal, Joy Ballard of Ryde Academy, said:

“I am so pleased for our students as well as the staff here who pulled out all of the stops to ensure the students had the best chance to catch up following the various disruptions to their studies over the last couple of years. 

"Our overall feeling is one of huge relief that these incredible young people have the opportunity to progress on to amazing futures and to achieve their dreams.”