CELEBRATIONS were on the timetable for many Malvern students as the nervous wait for A-Level results came to an end.
Exam results were revealed with teenagers across the district discovering whether they had secured the grades they needed to progress to life at university.
This year saw students sit exams for the first time after the pandemic forced their GCSE’s to be scrapped in favour of predicted grades.
Hanley Castle students recorded an amazing 37 per cent of all grades at A* and almost 70 per cent of the grades handed out were from A* to B
They bucked the national trend to produce even better results than the school’s teacher assessed grades of 2020 and 2021.
There were a large number of stand-out individual performances, with Lois Clark, Ollie Cooke, Morgan Davies, Benedict Haller, Robbie Lloyd, Elise Mulvale, Jess Naulls, Rebecca Palmer, Isabella Quinn, Jess Shaw, India Southwick, Aaron Tuffley, Joe Turton, Reuben Vickers, Jodie Williams and Noah Wroughton leading the way.
Head boy Ollie Cooke was the stand-out performer with A* grades in chemistry, maths, further maths, physics and his extended project. He will study Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall College, Cambridge.
India Southwick gained three A* grades in chemistry, mathematics and art and is off to Nottingham University where she will be studying Architecture and Environmental Design.
Noah Wroughton earned A* grades in English Literature and history, and an A grade in Economics. After visiting relatives in New Zealand, he will read history at Warwick University next year.
More students than ever will be embarking on degree or higher-level apprenticeships with some of Malvern’s very best local and national employers, including QinetiQ.
Headteacher Lindsey Cooke, said: “We are proud of every student and every grade. This was a year group with a million good excuses for not achieving top results.
“However, instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for themselves, they have responded in the most magnificent manner.
“They have taken long periods of remote learning, illness and disruption in their stride, and delivered the most magnificent set of results we could ever have imagined.
An ‘overwhelming majority’ of students at Malvern St James achieved the grades needed for their chosen university courses with 54 per cent of grades being recorded at A* and A.
A quarter of girls at the school achieved A* and A grades in all of their subjects with several achieving straight A*s.
Headmistress Olivera Raraty said: “Pupils have achieved excellent results, but it is not just about getting the top grades – we are equally delighted for those who achieved their personal best alongside developing themselves as rounded individuals.
“I am full of admiration for the way pupils have worked under a shadow of uncertainty, not knowing whether exams would be sat in person or if they would revert to teacher-assessed grades as per 2021.
“My sincere thanks go to teachers and pupils for all their unwavering hard work and commitment, which has certainly paid off.
“I wish our Year 13 leavers the very best of luck as they go on to embrace new challenges and opportunities.”
The Chase has broken all its previous examination records this year, with students producing a stunning set of A level results including 41 per cent of all grades at either A* or A – five per cent above the national average.
A total of 87 per cent of entries received grades at A* to C and 11 students achieved at least three A* grades.
A record five students secured their place at either Cambridge or Oxford University and among them was Phoebe Thomas who achieved three A*s and one A and will be studying Japanese at Oxford University.
Filip Twarowski also achieved three A*s and one A and will be studying Medicine at Cambridge University. Other notable performances include Michael Anstey and Matthew Wall who both achieved three A*s and one A.
Delighted headteacher Mike Fieldhouse paid tribute to his students have again surpassed all expectations.
“As this was the first time the students had experienced external examinations, we were not too sure what to expect from them,” he said.
“Unbelievably our students have blown all previous examination performances out of the water with this set of incredible results.
“Once again, a record number of students have secured a place at their first-choice university or on a higher-level apprenticeship which is always our main aim in gauging success at the end of Year 13.
