Students across Nottinghamshire have been celebrating their A-level results, including a motor racing champion and a student who continues to achieve perfect grades. Dozens of schools across the county welcomed students on Thursday, August 18, to share their A-level results.
This year's results were based on external exams for the first time since Covid. Many schools were unsure of what to expect, but they are all thrilled at how well their pupils have done despite the challenging last two years. Nationally, A-level grades for students across the UK dropped from pandemic highs, but remain above 2019 levels, with girls still outperforming boys and geography pushing English literature out of the top 10 most popular subjects.
One of the pupils to exceed expectations with her results was Tejomayee Ganesh from Bluecoat Sixth Form. Tejomayee achieved all grade 9s for her GCSEs at Bluecoat Aspley Academy, and her success continued as she achieved four A* grades at A-level in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology.
She will be going to study at Cambridge University in September to study Natural Sciences. Another pupil to go above and beyond with her results was Southwell resident, Alicia Barrett, who attends Worksop College.
Alicia is a Formula Woman finalist and has been Captain of the college throughout her A-levels whilst also competing as a motor racing champion. She received two As and a B in her A-levels and will be studying Zoo Biology at Nottingham Trent University.
She said: “I’m over the moon with my results. I’m so lucky that the school was supportive of my racing, I wouldn’t have received these results if I hadn’t had the flexibility around my racing schedule.”
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Alicia hopes to continue her racing career whilst she is away at university, and aims to win a seat in the GT cup driving McLaren GT4s.
David Proudlove is also jumping for joy with his results from The Carlton Academy, after he achieves four A* grades for Maths, Biology, Chemistry and his Extended Project Qualification. David is now on his way to study Biochemistry at the University of Oxford.
Hundreds of other pupils have done exceptionally well, making it a proud year for many teachers and parents. The majority of students at schools in the Archway Learning Trust will be studying at their first choice university or apprenticeship, and just under 800 pupils in the Spencer Academies Trust schools collected their results today, pushing the average grade up to a B from a C in 2019.
East Leake Academy students and The Redhill Academy also achieved an average grade score of a B, and exceptional results were also reported at Bilborough College, Nottingham Academy, Nottingham Girls' Academy and NUAST in Lenton.
Students at Nottingham University Samworth Academy were also celebrating, one pupil completed her last exam whilst pregnant and has still achieved two Distinction* grades and a Distinction, and another has become the first in her family to go to university.
Tuxford Academy has achieved an A-level pass rate of over 99% and Meden College, The Becket Sixth Form and The Brunts Academy are all celebrating a 100% pass rate for this year's A-level results.
A spokesperson for Arnold Hill Spencer Academy said: "Our sixth form grades are very positive and are evidence of so much positive work over time from both students and teaching staff. Student destinations are impressive and it has been lovely to see so many of our young people achieving what they needed to move to the next steps in their education, employment or training. Many students are moving to Russell Group and other Universities across the UK while other students are very pleased to be moving to apprenticeships with employers such as the Nottinghamshire Fire Service and Ryanair."
Commenting on the publication of A-level results, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT, 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."
Mr Roach added: "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.”
For more pictures and interviews from today's A-level results click here.
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