Camden’s class of 2018 celebrate A-level results
Celebrations have been taking place across Camden, after students at the borough’s schools received their A-level results.
Provisional figures show that the average points score per A-level entry in Camden in 2018 is 4.5 points higher than the previous year - up from 30.4 to 34.9, despite significant changes to the exams nationally this year (see notes below).
The percentage of Camden A-level exam entries awarded A* to C grades this year is 78.6%, which is 1.8 percentage points higher than the national average (76.8%). The percentage of Camden entries awarded the highest grade A* is 8.3%, which is higher than the national figure of 8%, while the percentage of A*s and A grades in Camden in 2018 is in line with the national figure.
In the sixth form of Camden School for Girls, which has both boys and girls, an amazing 20% of all A-level grades achieved by students there this year were A*s.
Councillor Angela Mason CBE, Cabinet Member for Best Start in Life, joined students and staff at LaSWAP Sixth Form yesterday (Thursday) to congratulate them on their successes.
It has been a great year again for students across our schools and I am delighted that so many are going off to university, starting professional training or apprenticeships and that they will be in a position to pursue brilliant careers. A great deal of credit must also go to their dedicated teachers and supportive parents.
LaSWAP, which is the joint sixth form for four Camden secondary schools - Acland Burghley, William Ellis, Parliament Hill and La Sainte Union - has two A-level students heading off to Oxford University this year.
One of them is Acland Burghley and LaSWAP student Eve Dickie, who got A*s in English literature and history and an A in psychology, and is off to Oxford University's Hertford College to study English language and literature.
Eve said: “I’m very happy and mainly relieved. Like a lot of other students here, I didn’t get much sleep, so I’m probably going to crash later.”
Another Acland Burghley and LaSWAP student, Felix Forrest, is off to study aeronautical and astronautical engineering at Southampton University after getting As in physics and maths and a C in geography and he hopes to work for a major jet airline manufacturer when he finishes his degree.
In September, Parliament Hill and William Ellis students can look forward to learning in a brand new LaSWAP Sixth Form building. The new classrooms and shared study spaces are designed to create a sixth form environment with a campus feel. The new building has been funded through the council’s Community Investment Programme, our plan to build council homes, schools and community facilities through the sale of new homes and underused assets.
At Regent High School, outgoing head boy, Mobin Ahmadi, gained three As in biology, chemistry and maths. He’s going to King’s College London to study medicine, with the intention of developing a career in cardiology.
Gary Moore, Regent High School headteacher, said: “I am thrilled and very proud of our students for achieving such strong results, which have enabled them to secure places at university and on apprenticeships.”
Elizabeth Kitcatt, headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “Our students have achieved an excellent set of A-level results. The specifications were changed very significantly for this year’s A-levels, and students knew they were the first to sit these particular papers. Given the extent of the changes, we're absolutely thrilled that our students performed so well.”
A record 17 students at Camden School for Girls gained places at Cambridge University or Oxford University this year.
Jacques Szemalikowski, headteacher of Hampstead School, said he was also pleased with how students in his school’s sixth form had performed this year. “Students have performed well here at Hampstead School in what has been an exciting day,” he said.
Background notes:
- This year’s reformed A-levels have eliminated coursework and AS-level grades no longer count towards final A-level grades, which means that this year’s provisional results are not directly comparable with previous years
- Young people who picked up their results in Camden yesterday are reminded that, in addition to higher education options they may be considering, apprenticeships offer opportunities to earn while you learn and get a foot on the career ladder. Some apprentice posts can also lead to a degree. For more information visit camden.gov.uk/apprenticeships
- Camden schools are supported by the council and by Camden Learning, our school improvement partner
- See more photos from this year's Camden A-level results