Stoke Newington School students celebrate their results.
As the percentage of A-level passes increased again this year, pupils in the East London Line boroughs played their part. In riot-hit Hackney and Croydon most pupils passed their A levels, while some schools have done spectacularly well.
Mossbourne Community Academy, in Hackney, which replaced Hackney Downs, once dubbed the ‘worst school in Britain’ to become one of the best, said every student taking A levels in their final year succeeded in securing a place at university, with 83 per cent achieving the top grades A* to C. Seven pupils confirmed places at Cambridge University, including Michael Ha, who is due to study medicine. His parents immigrated to Britain from China: his father is a labourer and his mother a seamstress.
Shedeh Javadzadeh, also from Mossbourne, said to ELL: “I feel ecstatic- going to Cambridge to study Medicine has been aspiration of mine ever since GCSE results day, and the fact that it is all over now feels incredibly surreal. It feels like I’m on cloud nine and I’m looking down on myself from another universe. It’s brilliant and I definitely can’t wait to start Cambridge.”
Sir Michael Wilshaw, executive principal at the Academy, described the results as “a fantastic feat. It shows what can be done.”
At Stoke Newington school in Hackney (pictured) the number of students getting top grades has shot up by more than 50 per cent in just one year. More than half, 55 per cent, of A level students achieved A*, A or B grades, compared with 33 per cent in 2010.
Headteacher Annie Gammon said: “We are proud of all our sixth form students who have deservedly achieved great things this year across our wide range of A level and vocational courses. We have an ambitious sixth form which aims to provide high-quality teaching and outstanding progress for all students. Our staff give each sixth form student individual attention to ensure their success.”
Stoke Newington pupils celebrate
Seyid Aydin was delighted with his four As and one A* in Chemistry, Economics, Maths and Biology and will go to University College London to study biological science. “I’m really happy I got an A* in Biology and looking forward to university.”
Katy Haley-Halinski, also at Stoke Newington, was celebrating A*A*A in English Literature, Psychology and Philosophy. She said: “I’m really, really happy about especially Philosophy which I took as an extra course because we had to come in at 8am in the morning for lessons. The hard work paid off. I’m really happy about that. Also the A star in English because I really love studying English.”
Croydon College students have also achieved excellent results with a 95 per cent A-level pass rate. The College gladly revealed a 100 per cent pass rate in nine of the A-level subjects, including Biology, Economics and Spanish. Frances Wadsworth, the college principal and chief executive told the Croydon Guardian: “The results are a testament to the hard work and dedication put in by our students and the staff who have supported them throughout their studies. I congratulate them all on their success and wish them well for the future.”
Also those celebrating good results was Coloma Convent Girls’ School, in Croydon, where the A-level pass rate was as high as 99.5 per cent. The school revealed eleven per cent of the grades were A*, 37 per cent were A* or A, and 89 per cent were A*s, As, Bs or Cs. Headteacher Maureen Martin told the Croydon Guardian: “I congratulate all the girls on so many fantastic results, which are a credit to their hard work and the commitment and enthusiasm of our staff.”
Elsewhere, Tower Hamlets College pupils were celebrating a pass rate of 93 per cent across all A level subjects and in Lewisham, students at Colfe’s School in Horn Park Lane, Lee, did particularly well with 71.7 per cent achieving A* to B and every pupil receiving A* to E grades.
