Students at St John’s Academy in Marlborough were in celebratory mood this morning – with a record number of A* and A grade passes being achieved.
The top grades accounted for a quarter of all passes this year, and follows the best ever results in the school’s International Baccalaureate programme, which were published in July and placed St John’s within the top 25 percent of IB centres nationally.
Many students achieved three or more A or A* grades, with particularly strong performances in drama, classics, English language, environmental studies, French, German, maths, further maths, and photography.
Among them were Adam Gray, who achieved A* grade in maths, further maths, and additional further maths, with an A in physics. Home schooled for much of his education, Adam passed his maths GCSE at the age of 13, with an A grade.
When he enters Cambridge to study maths this autumn he will be a year younger than his contemporaries – just 17. He hopes his degree will lead to a job in computing, statistics, or theoretical physics.
Harry Forbes has his mind set on a career in politics – with an ambition of becoming an MP. He is already a Conservative Party campaigner and led the Vote Leave campaign in Marlborough ahead of the EU Referendum.
Harry achieved an A* in Geography, and A in politics and an A in maths, and will be going to Magdalen College, Oxford to study philosophy, politics and economics.
Molly Parmiter has her sights set on international travel, following her degree in American studies at Manchester University. She hopes the ‘open-ended’ degree will give her a wide range of options following graduation. She achieved three A grades in English literature, English language, and classics.
And Robyn Humphreys will be studying French at Exeter University on the back of her three A grades in art, French and English literature. Her modern language degree, she says, will give her a wide range of career options once she graduates.
Other students celebrating three or more A* or A grades include Caroline Bazambanza, Georgia Brown, Darla Dryland, Saskia Jackson, Thomas Knighton, Maddie Kromer, Jake Owen, Rufus Redwood-Rowe, Nia Vines, Jake Whittaker, Harry Whitworth and Emily Withers.
IB students were celebrating a 93 percent pass rate, with Charlotte Abraham, Sophie Anstee de Mas, Hannah Dunkerley, Rosie Good, and Olivia Snell among the top performers. The top IB student was Amber Tatham, with 43 points out of 45.
AS level students were also celebrating a record year, with a 94 percent pass rate. The top students, with at least three A grades, included Ruthie Bentley, Robyn Davies, Ellie Davis, Sophie Doyle, Stella Filipiak, Tom Legge, Joe Lindley, Amy Milsom, Katie Milsom, Nick Moore, Jacob Pennington, Lucy Sumner-Twisk, and Ellen Trevaskiss.