Darlington Queen Elizabeth college celebrates 99 per cent pass rate

STUDENTS and staff at Darlington’s Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College are celebrating exceptional A-level results.

Principal, Tim Fisher comments: “Our results are once again fantastic and a credit to both students and staff. The overall pass rate of 99 per cent is tremendous and even more exceptional when taking into account the vast number of entries – more than 900 students were entered for two and a half thousand exams in 52 different subjects.

"It is also a superb achievement that half the students attained the top grades of A*, A and B.

"Indeed 89 students were awarded 135 A* grades after gaining over 90% in all of their second year A-level modules.

"We have much to celebrate and be proud of. There were many incredible individual success stories including one student who gained five A*s, one who gained four A*s and a further 35 students who attained four A*/ A grades."

Maths and science top of the class at Stockton Riverside College Bede Sixth Form

STOCKTON Riverside College Bede Sixth Form students are celebrating after achieving 99 per cent pass rate in their A-Levels; matching the best ever results.

Maths and science were top of the class, including 100 per cent of further maths students and 79 per cent of physics students achieving high grades (A*-B).

24 subjects at the College achieved 100 per cent pass rate, and the overall pass rate is higher than last year.

The subjects where students excelled include the sciences, maths and art.

Marked increase in top grades at The King's Academy, Middlesbrough

SCIENTISTS and linguists at The King’s Academy, Middlesbrough have achieved their school’s best ever A level results.

The King’s Academy has seen a marked increase in the percentage of top grades with 61 per cent being at B or better, up from 52 per cent last year.

Within the 100 per cent pass rate, the percentage of A*-C grades at the Coulby Newham academy was up by nine per cent to 89 per cent.

Three out of the top five students all achieved outstanding grades in biology and chemistry, while others hit top grades in German, French and English language.

95 per cent of Yarm School students achieve A*-C grades

YARM School’s A-level students achieved a 100 per cent pass rate with over 95 per cent of grades in the A*-C category and 20 per cent in the A* bracket.

Zach Kibirige, 18, has achieved outstanding results, with three As in biology, physical education and psychology. Zach has a professional contract with Newcastle Falcons and he was part of the Yarm School team which won the Daily Mail Vase Final at Twickenham in March.

Eighteen-year old Sarah Bailey is a talented musician who plays regularly for the school orchestra. She has secured outstanding results, with five A*s in chemistry, history, maths, physics and general studies. She will be studying chemical engineering at Imperial College, London.

Stuart Scott, also 18, has had an interest and a talent in fencing. He has competed both nationally and internationally. He has achieved A*s in chemistry, design technology, maths and physics and will be going to Bath University to study biochemical engineering.

Emmanuel College students bound for Oxford and Cambridge Universities

EIGHT A level students from one North-East state secondary school are bound for Oxford and Cambridge Universities after breaking a record for Oxbridge admissions.

The result is the best ever for Emmanuel College, in Gateshead. The confirmed places come as the college celebrates its best ever results, achieving a 100 per cent pass rate with 40 per cent of all grades being an A* or A and one in six being A*.

Two thirds of grades (66 per cent) were a B or better and 21 per cent of students achieved AAB or better in the most rigorous traditional A levels against a national average of nine per national in 2012.

Over 600 Middlesbrough College students heading for university

MIDDLESBROUGH College A Level students celebrated record results today, with more than two thirds achieving A*- C grades.

More than 600 Middlesbrough College students will be progressing to university to study a range of courses including medicine, maths, civil engineering, nursing, geography and economics.

The College also celebrated a 99.7% A Level pass rate.

Also tearing open results envelopes today were Middlesbrough College BTEC students – 398 of whom achieved high grades including 60 who attained Triple Star Distinctions (D*D*D*), the highest grade possible for their course.

Nunthorpe Academy records 100 per cent A*-E pass rate

NUNTHORPE Academy is celebrating excellent A-Level results today with a number of students achieving multiple A grades and its Sixth Form having a 100 percent pass rate.

Nunthorpe, which only became an Academy last year and recently achieved an Outstanding Ofsted report, has seen its A Level students achieve an A*-E pass rate of 100 percent. This is above last year’s national average of 98.5 percent.

Just under a quarter (24 percent) were awarded an A*-A pass with those achieving an A*-B pass coming in at 62 percent.

Notable achievements have included Sarah Khabbass, Emma Simpson, James Parkin, Andrew Goodridge and Hayley Humphreys, who all have obtained straight A* and A grades in every A-Level qualification they took.

Over half of Hartlepool English Martyrs Sixth Form students achieve A*-B

STUDENTS at The English Martyrs Sixth Form College, in Hartlepool, are celebrating some spectacular A level results.

Over half of all grades (53 per cent) were at A*, A or B.

The A-C pass rate was 79 per cent, a new record.

Top performing students included three boys who each achieved three A* grades. Michael Harrison gained A* grades in maths, further maths and computing as well as a grade A in physics and B in chemistry. Michael is now off to Cambridge University to study computer science.

Vikram Rajasekar is going to Liverpool University to study medicine after gaining A* grades in maths, biology and chemistry as well as an A in physics.

Joe Wilson’s three grade A*s in maths, chemistry and physics have earned him a place to study chemistry at the University of St Andrews.

Other students who each achieved at least two A* grades include Anna Minchell, Rachel Willis, Danielle Slade, Beth Chapman, Kate Freeman, Aimee Colley and Mollie Young.

Sanya Kurmani has secured a place at Oxford University to study medicine after achieving an A*and two As. Victoria Curry has achieved a place at Newcastle to study medicine while Aarthi Suresh has gained a place to study dentistry at King’s College, London.

Polam Hall students achieve A grades in studying in second language

INDEPENDENT day school Polam Hall , in Darlington, is celebrating another year of impressive A-level results for its students, with a pass rate of almost 99 per cent.

In all, 53.5 per cent of results were graded A* to B, with 27.9 per cent of papers graded A* or A, while eight pupils achieved at least three A* to B grades each. The overall pass rate was 98.8 per cent..

Among the pupils celebrating was Nigel Chan who achieved three A grades and will now go on to read law in Bristol. Fellow pupil Kathy Liu received an A*, two As and two Bs and will now attend university in Hong Kong.

Kathy and Nigel’s achievements are particularly impressive given that they were working in their second language.

Other strong performers include Samantha Dent, who achieved an A*, two As and a D and will now go on to read English and philosophy at St Andrews University.

Teesdale School celebrates marked improvement on last year's results

Staff and students at Teesdale School, Barnard Castle, were celebrating a marked improvement on last year's results.

The school recorded an overall pass rate of 98.5 per cent, while 20 per cent of all grades were A or A*.

On average, each student achieved one grade higher in each subject they entered compared to last year, with the school recording particularly good results in science subjects.

Co-principal Simon Maguire said: “We are delighted with the performance of our sixth form students and the fantastic results they have achieved.

“We are especially pleased with those students who have achieved the very highest grades and have secured places on the most competitive courses at the most prestigious universities.”

Barnard Castle School student is English whizz

Budding writer Whizzy Gorman will be following in her parents' footsteps after securing an A* in English language, As in literature, ethics and philosophy and a D3 in history.

She will head to Durham University where her father Dan, who is second master at Barnard Castle School, read history, and mum Amanda, an English teacher at the school, took English.

“I am following a bit of a family tradition by going to Durham and I can’t wait,” said the 18-year-old, of Barnard Castle.

“I love Durham and want to be a writer or a journalist and am just so pleased with how everything has worked out.”

It was another outstanding set of results for the school, which achieved a 100 per cent pass rate.

Headmaster Alan Stevens said: “We are celebrating some outstanding individual performances this year among students who have done exceptionally well in traditional subjects that are considered to be among the most challenging.

“We anticipate our entire Year 13 to secure good university places and we wish every one of them well as they embark on the next stage of their education.”

Carmel College student secures place at Cambridge to study art history

A DAY of celebration at Carmel College, Darlington, culminated in a very particular success story as one of their students, Elly Humphrey, was accepted for an art history degree course at Cambridge University. What made this so special was that Elly follows her sister who last year entered Oxford University following her A-levels at Carmel.

Two other students – Beth Tulloch and Joe Mash – also gained the grades they needed for Oxford University to read biomedical science and law respectively. Carmel students have recorded outstanding results with an overall pass rate of 100 per cent at A2 with 52 per cent achieving the highest grades of A* to B. The average point score per candidate was 966, well above the national average, which places Carmel VI form as one of the highest performing colleges. Results at AS level were also outstanding.

Students are now able to celebrate their progress to universities across the country, including 12 out of 24 of the prestigious Russell Group of universities. Principal, Maura Regan, said: “The outstanding results are a testament to the hard work and commitment of students and staff alike.

Stockton Sixth Form College principal 'exceptionally proud of 99% pass rate'

Stockton Sixth Form College achieved a 99 per cent A-level pass rate with students notching up an impressive 100 per cent pass rate in 35 subjects.

Rachel Angus, acting principal, said: “We are exceptionally proud of our 99% A-level pass rate. Not only does it show improvement year-on-year, it is a great reward for our students who have shown exemplary levels of commitment to their studies.

It is also very pleasing to see a large proportion of our students achieve the high grades needed to study at some of the most prestigious universities in the country, or secure employment in their chosen field.

We would like to wish every student leaving us this year the very best for their future.”

Another successful year for Bishop Auckland students

HARD work and determination paid off in Bishop Auckland as students celebrated another successful year.

Pupils at St John’s RC School and Sixth Form College, in Bishop Auckland, achieved a 99.4 per cent pass rate this year with 17 per cent of exams scoring an A* grade and 56 per cent achieving A* to B’s.

Headteacher Gerard Moran said the school has achieved its best ever results four out of the last five years.

“It is down to the close relationship we have here,” he said. “Staff and students have worked hard. Lots of our students have got into their first choice of university.”

Meanwhile at the nearby King James I Academy, performing arts results stood out with 87.5 per cent of students achieving an A* or A grade, with the only other student taking the exam being awarded a B.

In general, 50 per cent of the pupils achieved at least two A* to B grades, which is a significant improvement on previous years.

North Yorkshire looks set to maintain their top ten per cent status

North Yorkshire’s A-level students have achieved high levels of success in their results this year, maintaining the very high standards of previous years across the county, a spokeswoman for North Yorkshire County Council said.

Early figures show schools recording outstanding A-level scores. Results in so far reveal improvements for schools across the county and an improvement in the average point score per entry for the third successive year.

North Yorkshire has consistently been in the top ten per cent of authorities nationally for A-level success in past years and early indications suggest we have maintained that performance.

Harrogate Ladies College to study in Milan

HARROGATE Ladies’ College is delighted to announce that our Upper 6 have achieved an excellent set of A level results today.

Forty-five per cent of all grades attained were at A*/A and of the 45 per cent almost a quarter attained A* or A in at least three subjects.

The Upper 6 girls are celebrating individual success and confirmation that the majority of them will be heading off to their chosen university and course.

Special mention should be made of Alina Albot who gained four A* and one A and is now heading off to Bocconi University, Milan on a full scholarship.

Candice Song has secured her place at Christ Church, Oxford, to read mathematics and statistics with three A*s.

Sophie Ashley also heads off to Pembroke, Oxford, to read Oriental Studies with two A*s and two As. Her achievement is all the more special as Sophie is a year younger than her peers.

Hanna Karpuk, Polly Bowman, Alice Barber, Heather Kirk, Michelle Leung, Santis Leung, Regina Jia and Zoe Zheng also achieved two A*s amongst their set of grades.

Lizzie Callinan heads off to Trinity Hall, Cambridge to read human, social and political sciences.

Amelia Horne and Subin Kim have both secured their places to read medicine at UCL and KCL respectively.

Ripon Grammar School results are best in history

This year’s A-level results are the best in the history of Ripon Grammar School. The pass rate of 100 per cent was outstanding with 79.3 per cent of the grades being A*-B with over half the grades being A*/A.

There were many superb individual performances with 9 students getting three A* grades or better. 37 students secured at least three A grades (or better) out of 122 students in the year group.

Martin Pearman said “The vast majority of students have secured the grades they need for their first choice of university and these outstanding results reflect hard work and dedication over a sustained period of time. I am delighted for the staff and students who have worked so hard together to achieve such excellent results. My best wishes go to all the students as they embark on the next exciting stage of their lives.”

Wolsingham School and Community College students build on last year's achievements

WOLSINGHAM School and Community College Sixth Form students have achieved some of the best ever results this summer, building on last year's achievements. 24 per cent of results gained A* or A grades.

Star pupil was Glen Walkey-Stubbs who achieved A*s in biology, maths and chemistry and an A in physics and will now study Chemical Engineering at Manchester University.

Richmond School delighted with year's results

RICHMOND School is delighted that continual improvement is shown with the A-level results this year.

Despite a tightening up of standards nationally and a fall in the proportion of A-level awarded top grades, more students at the school gained three or more passes at the higher grades.

The following students all gained A* and A grades: Hallam Endersby, Olivia Denton, Daniel Fisher, Luke Fitzsimmons, William Henderson, Timothy Holmes,  Hamish Hornby, Stephen Lord, Daniel Overin, Zoe Reed, Leanne Ryder, Joseph Smith, Alex Swingler, Jennifer Thompson, Bethany Tuft and Jack Wiggins whilst many others gained A* - B grades.