Provisional results show that that 73.7% of Camden schools’ GCSE exam entries in 2026 were awarded grade 4 or above, higher than this year’s national average of 67%. 7.2% of GCSE exam entries by Camden schools gained the top grade 9 this year, which was also above the 2026 national average of 5%, with 29% of Camden schools’ GCSE exam entries at grade 7 or above, compared to the national average of 21.8%.

The percentage of Camden Year 11 students achieving a ‘strong pass’ in GCSE English and maths – grade 5 or above in both subjects - increased to 49%, and the percentage of Camden GCSE students achieving a ‘standard pass’ in English and maths – grade 4 and above in both - also increased to 65%.

Validated figures are expected to be above, or in line with, the national average when these are published in the final performance tables later this year. Camden’s overall results, which are all above last year’s figures, reflect the commitment of students, the support of their families, and the tireless efforts of teachers and school staff.

Councillor Marcus Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, visited Regent High School and Maria Fidelis Catholic School to congratulate students and staff.

Students' stories and results

Schools across the borough have shared stories of individual success, with many students achieving top grades and securing places at sixth forms and colleges to pursue A-levels, vocational qualifications, or apprenticeships.

At Maria Fidelis Catholic School, Headteacher Mark Anthony was delighted that the school achieved their best set of results since 2017, with many Year 11s having attended extra after-school and weekend classes put on by Maria Fidelis staff to support students in their exam year. Mr Anthony said: “Almost all our Year 11s took advantage of the additional after-school and weekend classes, which started at the beginning of the year. This has contributed to our GCSEs success this year, with the best results since 2017. It’s lovely to see so many students coming into school smiling and happy. It has been a great team effort from the students, parents, teachers, support staff and premises staff.”

Among the top performing GCSE students at Maria Fidelis, were Malaika Bunga-Vila and Siam Ahmed. Siam received the top grade 9 in all 10 of his GCSEs, while Malaika got a string of grade 9s and 8s. Fellow Maria Fidelis GCSE students, Keira Medhaine and Emma-Louise Harris are both staying on in the school’s sixth form. Keira was pleased with two grade 8s in English literature and religious education, as well as a 7 in English language, 6s in double science and a 6 in history. Keira now plans to study Level 3 BTEC in sports science, as well as psychology and sociology A-levels and hopes to study sports science at university. Emma-Louise also now plans to study a mixture of BTECs and A-levels and then go onto to art college to study fashion design. 

At Regent High School, Ejaz Khan was delighted with his 11 GCSEs, including four at the top grade of 9, as well as four grade 8s. Ejaz said: “I was a bit nervous for my results but mainly excited because I knew what I was expecting and I did pretty well so I’m very happy.” 

Fellow Regent High GCSE student Naeema Hussain gained nine GCSEs, including a grade 9 in English literature and two 8s in English language and sociology. Naeema said: “I was really overwhelmed, but when I got my results I was really happy.” Another Regent High School student, Holly Meehan, who has special educational needs, was delighted to have passed seven GCSEs and has a place on a Supported Internship with learning disability charity Mencap, which was arranged through Camden’s SEND and Inclusion Team.

At William Ellis School, 70% of boys achieved grades 4 to 9 in both English and maths GCSEs, with 54% reaching at least grade 5 in both. Headteacher Izzy Jones said: "I want to say a huge thank you to our staff and to families for the constant support and guidance they've given throughout this period. That partnership has been central to building the kind of learning community where our students can thrive.” 

At Haverstock School, top performers included Tyler Varda, who was celebrating achieving three top grade 9s in his English language, maths and computing GCSEs, along with 8s in English literature, physics, economics, geography and further maths. Tyler, who is staying on at Haverstock Sixth Form, said: “I’m pleased - it went well. I have felt very well supported during my time at Haverstock as the teachers really understand me. I’m going to study maths, further maths, economics and physics A-levels at the sixth form here.”

Fellow Haverstock student Rayana Abdisalam gained three 9s, three 8s, two 7s and one 6 in her GCSEs. Rayana plans to stay on at Haverstock Sixth Form for her chosen A-levels in biology, chemistry and psychology. She said she was "very proud and excited about what the future holds".

Joe Edwards, Interim Head of School at Haverstock, said: “Congratulations to Haverstock’s Year 11 students who have worked incredibly hard and been so well supported by our staff. It’s so pleasing and exciting to see that so many students are keen to return to Haverstock for their sixth form studies.”

At Parliament Hill School, an impressive 47% of grades were at 9 to 7, while 85% of students achieved at least a grade 4 and above in both English and maths. Headteacher Sarah Creasey said: “A huge congratulations to Parliament Hill students who have worked incredibly hard to achieve these brilliant results alongside their committed subject teachers, whose tireless support and excellent teaching is reflected in these impressive outcomes.”

At Hampstead School, high achieving students included Tianna Chauhan, who gained 10 GCSEs, with eight at grade 7 or above, and Dania Mohamed, who passed 11 GCSEs, with seven at grade 7 or above. Hampstead School’s Headteacher, Matthew Sadler, said: “I am so impressed by all of our Year 11 students, and it is lovely to see them celebrating individual achievements and exceptional progress, as well as taking their next steps into sixth forms, colleges and other destinations.”

Acland Burghley School achieved its best-ever GCSE results since 2017, with 76% of students achieving a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Science, English and Spanish scores, in particular, all had an outstanding year. The maths department built on last year’s success with 45% of students achieving a grade 7 or above in the subject.

Nicholas John, Headteacher of Acland Burghley School, said: “These are Acland Burghley’s best GCSE results since curriculum reform in 2017, by a significant margin. The students have done well at every level across a broad curriculum. The school is highly successful in our academic and creative curriculum. We’re incredibly proud of these young people.”

At UCL Academy, Lily Kong was the school’s highest achieving student. She was awarded a grade 9 in all 10 of her GCSEs. In September, Lily will be pursuing her passion and specialism in maths at King's Maths School. Lily will be studying maths, further maths, computer science, and physics, with the goal of eventually pursuing a career in cyber security. 

Fellow UCL Academy student Lavinia Foresythe also achieved a phenomenal set of results, with eight grade 9s and two grade 8s. Lavinia will study A-levels in maths, further maths, computer science and English literature at Woodhouse College, with her ultimate goal being to work in data science or quantitative research.

Students and staff at La Sainte Union Catholic School are celebrating an impressive set of GCSE results. In English literature, 84.6% of students achieved grades 9 to 5, with 92.3% securing grades 9 to 4. English language also saw strong success, with 76.8% achieving grades 9 to 5 and 87% achieving grades 9 to 4.

La Sainte Union students performed particularly well in separate sciences. In chemistry, 100% of students achieved grades 9 to 5 and grades 9 to 4, while biology and physics both recorded 100% pass rates, with 95.2% of students achieving grades 9 to 5 in each subject. Overall, almost 90% of La Sainte Union students achieved five or more GCSE passes. 

Sophie Fegan, Headteacher of La Sainte Union Catholic School, said: "We are incredibly proud of our students and all they have achieved. These results are a testament to their perseverance, ambition and commitment throughout their GCSE studies."

Meanwhile, Camden School for Girls achieved a record set of GCSE results, with an amazing 22% of passes at the highest grade 9 and 56% at grades 9 to 7. 

91% of exam entries at Camden School for Girls were at grades 9 to 4, with an exceptional 45 students achieving at least eight GCSEs at Grades 9 to 7.

Headteacher Kateryna Law said: “The number of top grades is the highest in the school’s history, and I would like to warmly congratulate all our students on this exceptional achievement. We are immensely proud of the hard work, determination and dedication that every student has shown, and we could not be more pleased with this outstanding set of results.”

For students and families looking for advice on next steps, including university, apprenticeships, or emotional wellbeing support, visit the Camden Rise website and Camden Learning’s Next Steps Post-16 website.

This year, the average point score per A-level entry in Camden was 35.9, compared with 35.4 in 2025. 98.1% of A-level exam entries were awarded grades A* to E – in line with the national average.

For vocational qualifications, the average point score per entry was 31.7, up from 30.0 in 2025.

This year also marks an important milestone for Camden, with the first cohort of students in Camden schools completing their T-level courses and receiving their qualifications.

Students studying T-level at Acland Burghley School, Haverstock School and Maria Fidelis School achieved a 100% pass rate, compared with a national average of 93%. The results also demonstrate the high level of achievement among Camden's T-level students, with 92% achieving distinction or merit grades, compared with a national average of 68.9%. These high grades are equivalent to achieving AAA to BBB at A-level, highlighting the strength and calibre of Camden's technical education offer.

These results reflect the excellent work taking place every day across Camden’s schools, with dedicated teachers and staff supporting young people to achieve, thrive and prepare for their next steps. Camden’s schools continue to provide high-quality education, helping every young person to develop their talents and fulfil their potential.

Strong employer partnerships through Camden STEAM have provided students with valuable industry placement experiences, while bringing schools and employers together to develop the skills needed for the future workforce.

This impact can be seen in the journeys of two Camden T-level students, Sem Nuru and Maciej Brzezia, who completed their industry placements at The Francis Crick Institute and have now progressed to degree-level apprenticeships, returning to the Crick this autumn.

Alongside celebrating this year's results, Camden Council and Camden Learning are continuing to deliver Camden's Education Strategy, Building Back Stronger, including our joint commitment to an excellent school experience for all Camden pupils and a post-16 education system that benefits all students.

Camden is also expanding opportunities for young people beyond the classroom, including through its Opportunity Centres at the London AI Campus and Euston Skills Centre, giving students access to academic support, future-facing skills, careers advancement and vocational pathways.

In addition, Camden’s Virtual School also provides dedicated support for young people in care and care leavers, helping them navigate their education, results and next steps, including progression to further and higher education, training and employment.

Student stories and results

Celebrations took place across Camden, as students gathered to receive their results.

Among the individual success stories at Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP Sixth Form was Billy Hutchins, 18, who was celebrating getting two A* grades in physics, maths and an A in chemistry in his A-level. Billy is off to Imperial College London to study physics – one of the most competitive STEM destinations in the country. Billy’s dad, Morgan Hutchins, whose elder son from the same school went to Oxford was there to celebrate Billy’s success and was so proud. Billy said: “I’m super excited and it can’t get better than this."

Another high achiever from Parliament Hill School was Eva Roberts, who got two A* grades in geography and politics and an A in English literature and is now going to Manchester University to study English literature. She was so happy, and said she “always wanted to study literature”.

La Sainte Union Catholic School and LaSWAP student Isabel Doolan, 18, gained impressive marks in biology, psychology and PE and is off to the Brunel University to study physics. It was a proud moment for her as she became the first in her immediate family to go to university.

Another La Sainte Union Catholic School and LaSWAP student Eric Henig Griffin, 18, is off to University of Liverpool to study town and regional planning after gaining As in physics, maths and geography. Eric got inspired to take the urban planning course whilst playing video games and realising that people actually do this for a living.

Vocational student, Fayola Fitsum, aged 18, from La Sainte Union Catholic School, achieved three distinction stars in BTEC health and social care and is going to King’s College to study mental health nursing.

Among the individual success stories from Acland Burghley School and LaSWAP is Rayhane Abdelhalim ,18, who was celebrating getting two As in German and sociology. She is off to UCL to study German and management. She was delighted with her results and said her parents were so proud!

Julia Oduro from Acland Burghley School got a merit (BBB) in her T-level in media, broadcast and production. She is now going to Manchester Metropolitan to study advertising and brand communications. She was recently named the Camden T-level Student of the Year 2026 for demonstrating exceptional commitment, resilience and personal growth.

William Ellis School and LaSWAP student Luca Frodsham, 18, has a place at Cambridge University to study natural sciences after receiving A* grades in biology and chemistry and an A in Maths. He said he was nervous about the results as getting admission to natural sciences is very competitive, but he is pleased he got it.

Speaking on behalf of LaSWAP Sixth Form, Acland Burghley Headteacher Nicholas John said: “This year has seen the biggest set of results, as well as the best set of results since curriculum reform for the consortium. We’re pleased that out of all the grades awarded, 25% are A and A* and 82% are C and above.

"We’re also extremely proud of our strong vocational results and the first cohort who completed the media, broadcast and production T-level at Acland Burghley with over 80% of those achieving a merit or distinction. Well done to all the students.”

This year, Haverstock School received their first set of T-level results, with all 12 students on the management and administration course excelling themselves and received merit (the equivalent of BBB at A-Level) or distinction (the equivalent of AAA).

One student in particular, Khaled Albitar, who arrived in the UK as a refugee from Syria, not only received a T-level student award at the recent Camden T-level celebration event, but has also been offered a degree apprenticeship by his placement employer, Berkley Group PLC.

Another high achiever was the fantastic Adeeb Hamidi, who joined Haverstock School in year 9 following escaping from Afghanistan. After learning English at Haverstock, Adeeb performed so impressively in GCSE and A-level results that he used clearing to ‘trade-up’ today and is heading to University of Nottingham to study computer science.

Joe Edwards, Interim Head of School at Haverstock, said: “Congratulations to our Year 13 students on their results and destinations - it's testament to their hard work and dedication, and those of their teachers."

Hampstead School is celebrating excellent A-level, BTEC and LIBF results from their hard-working Year 13 students. The average point score of Hampstead School students has again increased, to 28.3, compared to 28.1 last year and 19.1 in 2019. Across the entire Year 13 cohort, 96% of students achieved an A* to E.

Noha El Haouass El Mengadi, one of the Principal Students, achieved a wonderful A in English literature, and Bs in geography and psychology. She will be studying law at Queen Mary University.

Faris Al-Hirch received a distinction star in IT BTEC, merit in health and social care, and C in criminology. Faris said: “I can’t believe I got a distinction star - it’s almost impossible!”

At Camden School for Girls, an impressive 21% of A-level grades were at A* and 48% were at A* to A. 19 students have secured the grades required to take up places at Oxford or Cambridge, with many more progressing to leading medical schools, innovative art and design institutions, prestigious music conservatoires, competitive apprenticeships and a wide range of leading universities across the country.

Kateryna Law, Headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “I am delighted to share that Camden School for Girls has achieved another exceptional set of A-level results this year. I would like to congratulate all our students on their outstanding achievements.”

At UCL Academy, almost half of Sixth Form students achieved A* to B grades, and 71% of students achieved A* to C grades. 18 students secured at least two A*/A grades, with three of those achieving all A*/A grades. Overall, UCL Academy students secured an exceptional 55 A*/A grades.

Among the high achievers at UCL Academy is Deena Molokhia, who is the fourth and youngest of the Molokhina clan to complete all their education at UCL Academy, and has achieved A*, A and B in maths, further maths and physics. She is now continuing her education at City St George's, University of London, studying civil and infrastructure engineering.

For students and families looking for advice on next steps, including university, apprenticeships, or emotional wellbeing support, visit the Camden Rise website.

Camden STEAM, a partnership between Camden Council and Camden Learning, connects young people with meaningful employer encounters, ensuring they benefit from local innovation and investment that defines the borough.

Over the last three years, the programme has engaged over 13,000 children and young people and mobilised over 75 STEAM Pledge partners spanning creative, digital and scientific industries. Together, they have delivered work experience placements, mentoring, industry encounters and vocational pathways to support young people to build skills, confidence and awareness of career routes.

The funding extension will deepen Camden’s collaboration with leading institutions across the borough, which include Google, UCL, Arup and the Francis Crick Institute. It will also enable the scaling up of the annual Camden Primary Careers Day, increase work experience opportunities and strengthen support for young people most affected by barriers to employment through the Camden Youth Mission.

The announcement was made at a reception at the London AI Campus, bringing together local employers, school leaders, students and partners to celebrate the achievements of the Camden STEAM programme since 2022 and launch its refreshed Camden STEAM Strategic Priorities for 2026–2027.

Tristen, a LaSWAP student who takes part in lessons at the London AI Campus, reflected on his experience by saying:

“The AI Campus has been great – especially the robotics course! I think spaces like this are so important not just for us students, but also future employers. You’re able to gain good insights and first-hand experiences from professionals in the field that you’re interested in.”

Hannah, a student at Regent High School, spoke about her experience working with a mentor:

“My mentor has helped me because her job in neuroscience aligns with my interests. By getting to see what she does, she’s made me love science even more and it’s helped me broaden my knowledge of what science can do.”

The next phase of the Camden STEAM Strategy sets out the partnership’s shared priorities for 2026–2027, by sharpening focus and deepening impact at a time when national and regional policy changes, including the National Curriculum and Assessment Review, present significant opportunities for schools. Camden’s strong school-employer engagement model means the borough is uniquely positioned to help schools and young people benefit from these changes.

Camden’s bold and ambitious culture of innovation has built strong links between schools and industry, supporting young people to broaden their aspirations, understand routes and pursue the futures they want.

This investment ensures this work will continue to grow, supporting more young people, deepening employer partnerships and building a system where every young person in Camden can access the skills, networks and opportunities they need to thrive in the jobs of today and the future.

Provisional results show that 72.3% of Camden schools’ GCSE exam entries in 2025 were awarded grade 4 or above, higher than this year’s national average of 67.1%, while 6.9% of GCSE exam entries by Camden schools gained the top grade 9 this year, which was also above the 2025 national average of 5.1%. Meanwhile, 26.8% of Camden schools’ GCSE exam entries this year were at grade 7 or above, compared with the national average in 2025 of 21.8%. 

The percentage of Camden Year 11 students achieving a ‘strong pass’ in GCSE English and maths – grade 5 or above in both subjects – is 47%, while the percentage of Camden GCSE students achieving a ‘standard pass’ in English and maths – grade 4 and above in both – is 63% for 2025. 

Both figures are expected to be in line with the national average when these are published in the final performance tables later this year. These results reflect the commitment of students, the support of their families, and the tireless efforts of teachers and school staff.

The Leader of Camden Council, Councillor Richard Olszewski, was at Hampstead School to speak to students about their next steps.

Councillor Marcus Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, visited Haverstock School and Regent High School.

Schools across the borough have shared stories of individual success, with many students achieving top grades and securing places at sixth forms and colleges to pursue A-levels, T-levels, other vocational qualifications or apprenticeships. 

At Haverstock School, Liam Farmer, 16, was celebrating achieving three top grade 9s in his Italian, Spanish and English Literature GCSEs, along with 8s in history, English language, biology and maths, 7s in computer science and physics, as well as a further two strong passes at grades 5 and 6. Liam, who is staying on at Haverstock Sixth Form, said: “I’m pleased - it went well. I’m very happy with the 9 in English literature and 8 in biology, which I didn’t expect. I’m going to study English literature, maths and psychology A-levels at the sixth form here.” 

Fellow Haverstock student Tahir Rahman, 16, gained three 9s, five 8s and two 7s in his GCSEs. Tahir plans to stay on at Haverstock Sixth Form for his chosen A-levels in English language, English literature, politics and maths. Among the other high achievers at Haverstock were Rohit Toma, with eight 9s and one 8, and Ayyub Ejlilou with six 9s and four 8s. Gwen Cotter, 16, who passed 10 GCSEs, was pleased with her grade 8 in maths, 7 in English literature and 6s in business, biology and physics. 

Katie Metselaar, Head of School at Haverstock, said: “Congratulations to our Year 11 students on their incredibly impressive GCSE results. These results were hard-fought and demonstrate the great potential of our students. Achieving these grades, despite the huge disruption they faced during the pandemic, is a remarkable accomplishment. Like all other Year 11s across the country, they missed out on the key transition from primary to secondary school back in 2020, and they should all be commended for their resilience.” 

Cadense English, 16, from Hampstead School achieved three 9s, three 8s, two 7s, and one 5 in their GCSEs. They were especially pleased with a 9 in history and are considering going to LaSWAP Sixth Form to study politics, history and economics at A-level. 

Other high achievers at Hampstead School included Lila Rouachdia, who passed 10 GCSEs with one grade 9, two 8s and five 7s; Ayham Wahid, who achieved 11 GCSEs, including one grade 9, five 8s and four 7s, and Vukan Dragojevic, whose 11 GCSE passes included one grade 8 and four 7s. Thanes Mariano De Figueiredo achieved nine GCSEs, with one grade 9, one 8 and five 7s, despite a broken leg.

Matthew Sadler, Headteacher of Hampstead School, said: “I am so proud of all of our Year 11 students - because of COVID they left primary school after a lockdown and started their time in secondary school confined to ‘bubbles’. Despite the most difficult circumstances in generations, they have thrived - now achieving wonderful academic progress that demonstrates how committed, adaptable and bright this cohort is." 

At William Ellis School, 72% of boys achieved grades 4 to 9 in both English and maths and 53% achieved at least grades 5 – a ‘strong pass’ - in both. Attainment in English and maths at the school was strong at all levels, significantly higher than for boys nationally. Meanwhile, 30% of Year 11s at William Ellis School achieved at least three GCSEs at the top grades 9 to 7. William Ellis student Julian, who achieved three grade 9s, four 8s and three 7s, said: “I have made some amazing friends and have been fortunate to have had passionate teachers who have helped me succeed.”

Izzy Jones, Headteacher of William Ellis School, said: “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff and the students' families for the unwavering support and guidance they have provided. Their commitment and collaboration have been instrumental in creating the strong learning community that enables our students to flourish. This is a remarkable team effort, and we should all be exceptionally proud of everyone involved.” 

Among the many success stories at Regent High School were Malak E, who achieved 11 grades 9 to 7, including 9s in art, chemistry, design technology, maths, further maths and geography; Matias G, who achieved 10 grades 9 to 7, including 9s in English language, geography and Spanish, and Mashia R who achieved nine grades 9 to 7, including 9s in French and maths. 

Gary Moore, Headteacher of Regent High School, said: “I am delighted by the excellent results achieved by the students. This incredible set of results is a testament to their hard work, determination and grit.” 

Among the outstanding performers at Acland Burghley School were Abe C, with nine grade 9s and two 8s; Carla C, with eight grade 9s, one 8 and a 7; Herbie H, with ten grade 9s and a 7 and Llewelyn H, also with ten grade 9s and an 8.

Martha Collins, Head of School at Acland Burghley, said: “We are delighted that 33.5% of all GCSE grades awarded at the school this year were at grades 9 to 7, the best-ever performance at this level. This outstanding achievement reflects the high aspirations and academic excellence that continue to grow across the school.” 

Parliament Hill School's Headteacher Sarah Creasey said she was “delighted” that 41% of the school's GCSE entries were at grades 9 to 7, with 28% at the top grades 8 to 9. Among the high achievers at Parliament Hill were Kimia, who gained three grade 9s, three 8s, two 7s, one 6 and a distinction in extended mathematics; Rumi, who gained nine grade 9s, one 8, one 7 and a distinction in extended mathematics, and Alexa, who gained nine 9s, one 8, one 7 and a distinction in extended mathematics.

Sarah Creasey, Headteacher of Parliament Hill School, said: “Congratulations to all of our Year 11 students. They have worked incredibly hard, achieving brilliant outcomes which are taking them on to a wide range of 6th form courses and pathways. We are really proud of 39% 9 to 7 grades in maths, which is well above the national performance for girls of 19.9%." 

Mark Anthony, Headteacher of Maria Fidelis Catholic School, said: “Maria Fidelis is proud of its students who achieved some excellent results this year. In particular, we would like to congratulate Michal who achieved nine grade 9s and one 8, Dean who achieved two grade 9s, six 8s and one 7, and Alessandra who achieved three grade 9s, two 8s and three 7s. There were many students who achieved much higher than they thought, and this is down to the dedication of their teachers and their own hard work.”

At Camden School for Girls, an amazing 19% of GCSE grades were at the highest grade 9 and 50% of exam entries at the school were at grade 7 or above. Thirty-four students at Camden School for Girls achieved at least eight GCSEs at grades 9 to 7. Headteacher Kateryna Law said: “We are incredibly proud of what our students have achieved.” 

Among the high achievers at La Sainte Union Catholic School were Eliza, who achieved eight grade 9s and two 8s; Holly, who achieved six grade 9s and two 8s, and Rosa, who achieved five grade 9s and three grade 8s. In English, 82% of grades at La Sainte Union were at 4 to 9 and 29% were at grades 7 to 9. 

Sophie Fegan, Headteacher of La Sainte Union Catholic School, told students: "I am so proud of you for your fantastic GCSE results! Hard work, determination and resilience have truly paid off. Take time today to celebrate all you have achieved and the exciting opportunities ahead. As you join us for LaSWAP enrolment, remember this: you are all bright women with the power to shape bold futures.” 

Among the high achieving students at UCL Academy was Stephanie Ngugi, who joined the school in Year 10 having moved from Tanzania with limited English. She was one of a number of English as an additional language students celebrating excellent GCSEs at the academy, including a grade 8 in English language. Overall, Stephanie achieved one grade 8, one 7, four 6s, six 5s and two 4s. She will continue her studies in biology, chemistry and sociology, with a long-term plan of studying microbiology at university. Stephanie said: “I struggled at first because of my English, but the supportive school environment helped me enormously.” 

Fellow UCL Academy student Maria Nahar joined the academy in Year 9. Having shown resilience through a number of significant challenges, Maria achieved a grade 9 in history, alongside four 8s in English language, English literature, maths and sociology. Maria will continue at the academy, studying A-levels in maths, history and English literature, and potentially a fourth, sociology. Maria said the “overall level of support in the school” be it from teachers, support staff or other students, undoubtedly helped her achieve her grades. 

UCL Academy’s highest achieving student was Stanley Bradford, who was awarded nine grade 9s and one 7. Stanley was unable to collect his results in person but sent the following message: “Thanks so much to all the amazing teachers at UCL Academy!! See you next year for A-levels!” 

Andrea Pomphrey, Principal of UCL Academy, said: “This year, a key focus for the Academy has been to strengthen students’ progress at the highest grades of 9 to 7. I am delighted that a quarter of our students achieved this standard – a reflection of their commitment and the unwavering dedication and support of our staff. I am equally proud of the resilience shown by so many of our young people who, despite facing significant personal challenges, cost of living difficulties, and the impact of international conflicts on their families, have secured results that will enable them to pursue ambitious and aspirational academic pathways."

• See more photos from Camden GCSEs 2025
• For students and families looking for advice on next steps, including university, apprenticeships, or emotional wellbeing support, visit the Camden Rise website.

This year, the average point score per A-level entry in Camden was 35.4, which was slightly above last year’s score of 34.5. The percentage of Camden A-level exam entries awarded grades A* to C was 78.1%, which was above the national average of 77.7%. Meanwhile, 97.6% of Camden A-level exam entries were at grades A* to E, which was in line with the national average. 

For vocational results, the average point score per entry in 2025 was 29.7, which was up on last year’s score of 28.5. 

Camden’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture, Councillor Sabrina Francis, visited LaSWAP Sixth Form, which is a consortium of four Camden secondary schools, to congratulate students and staff.

Celebrations took place across Camden yesterday, as students gathered to receive their results. 

Among the individual success stories at Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP Sixth Form was Maisy Zagar, 18, who is off to Oxford University to study politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) after gaining two A*s and an A in her A-levels. Maisy’s mum, Sarah Allen, who also won a place at Oxford when she was a state school student, was there to celebrate her daughter’s success. Maisy said: “I would like to work for a policy think tank to put some pressure on the slow coaches.” 

Mary McGinn, 18, also of Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP, is off to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia after getting an A* in drama A-level and As in English literature and religious studies. Mary said: “I want to be a writer, maybe a playwright and a novelist – just writing in general would be great!” 

Meanwhile, fellow Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP student Kerrie Abrey, 18, who got three Cs in her A-levels, plans to train as a paramedic by studying for a degree in paramedic science at St George’s University of London. She was inspired by meeting a paramedic through a mentoring programme. 

William Ellis School and LaSWAP student Alec Imamovic, 17, who is a talented pianist, has a place at the world-famous Royal College of Music in London to study composition after receiving an A* in his music A-level and As in maths and music technology. Alec joined William Ellis through the school’s specialist music places scheme. 

La Sainte Union Catholic School and LaSWAP student An Thien Pham, 18, gained A*s in her maths and further maths A-levels and an A in computer science. She’s off to the University of Warwick to study computer science. 

Another high achiever is Acland Burghley School and LaSWAP student Ella Latter, 18, who was celebrating getting three As in her history, politics and photography A-levels. She’s off to Bristol University to study history. Fellow Acland Burghley and LaSWAP student Tolani Adams, 18, got two As and C in her A-levels and is taking a gap year to save up money and reconsider her options for university. She would like to study for a degree in psychology and cognitive neuroscience. 

Speaking on behalf of LaSWAP Sixth Form, William Ellis Headteacher Izzy Jones said: “It’s superb to see so many students not only achieve the highest grades but also go onto destinations such as Oxford University, Russell Group universities, higher apprenticeships or other competitive vocational and creative routes, whether that is civil engineering, neuroscience or studying at a prestigious music conservatoire.” 

Over 70% of LaSWAP students secured their first or second choice university offers at top institutions or industry-based courses, including apprenticeships. 

At Haverstock School Sixth Form, 22% of all A-level grades were awarded at A* to A and an impressive 45% of grades were at A* to B. High achievers at Haverstock include Nejwa Seid, who will go on to study dentistry at King’s College after achieving three A*s and Shaquil Leurs, who has a place at Cambridge University to study human, social, and political sciences after getting two A*s and an A. 

Katie Metselaar, Head of School at Haverstock, said: “Our Sixth Form has been on a six-year transformation. This year group and the team have delivered the best results this school has ever delivered at Sixth Form. All the students, and those staff involved, have worked incredibly hard to gain these results and superb destinations.” 

At Hampstead School, Dean Duckling achieved two A*s in his maths and geography A-levels and two As in further maths and history. He’s heading to Bath University to study maths. Fellow Hampstead School A-level student Sofia Popikova achieved two A*s in finance and geography and two As in maths and politics. She is off to study economics at Stockholm School of Economics. 

Meanwhile, Hampstead School's Elsa Rexhepi, who achieved an A* in psychology, an A in history and a B in English literature, has secured a place at King’s College London to study psychology.

Hampstead School Headteacher Matthew Sadler said of his 2025 sixth formers: “Their success is a testament to their perseverance and the supportive community that has nurtured their growth throughout their time here.” 

At Regent High School, Rosh Aso-Rashid achieved an impressive two A*s in maths and physics and an A in chemistry. Rosh is off to the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, to study medicine and has been awarded a £4,400 annual scholarship for the duration of his degree. Fellow Regent High student Yassine Hanou achieved three As in history, economics and geography and is looking forward to going to the University of Exeter to study geography. 

Vocational student Alba Kacaniku, of Regent High School, achieved Dist* (distinction starred), Distinction and Merit in CTEC Business and CTEC IT and will be joining Westminster University to study accounting and finance. 

At Camden School for Girls, an impressive 19% of A-level grades were at A* and 53% were at A* to A. Twenty-five students at the school have places at Oxford University or Cambridge University. 

Kateryna Law, Headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “We are incredibly proud of the achievements of every one of our students, which include one student attaining the highest mark in the country in English literature.” 

At UCL Academy, almost half of Sixth Form students achieved A* to B grades, with 71% of students achieving A* to C grades, reflecting an improvement from previous years. Fifteen UCL Academy students secured at least two A* or A grades. 

Among the high achievers at UCL Academy is Lotus Mohammad, who only arrived in the UK in 2020 with her family, after fleeing conflict and hardship in Syria. Lotus was awarded A*s in biology and psychology A-levels, as well as an A in chemistry and an A in her extended project qualification (EPQ). This has enabled her to secure her place at UCL to study medicine. 

At Maria Fidelis Catholic School, students are off to a wide range of Russell Group universities to study economics, law, architecture, philosophy, accounting, finance and pharmacy among other subjects. Maria Fidelis Sixth Form student Sarah Charif said: “I got a place at King’s College London to study children’s nursing. Thank you so much for all your support - I appreciate the staff and my sixth form experience.” 

• For students and families looking for advice on next steps, including university, apprenticeships, or emotional wellbeing support, visit the Camden Rise website
• See more photos from Camden A-level and vocational results day 2025

This year's work experience week was the most successful yet, with 450 students enjoying placements at a range of organisations including Google, UCL and Arup.

Organised by Camden Learning's STEAM team, the work experience programme aims to provide local students with hands-on experience at a range of top science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) employers across the borough. By linking students directly with industry leaders, the programme aims to inspire and equip the next generation with the practical knowledge and confidence needed to thrive in these critical sectors.

During the week, students were placed across the borough at different organisations including Camden Council services, AutogenAI, Phoenix Court, UCL and more.

Google hosted over one hundred young people for the sixth year at their headquarters in King's Cross, giving students the chance to work closely with staff mentors and on a fascinating marketing challenge for Google Pixel.

Council services established authentic challenges for young people, with students building phone-based apps in the Digital service, creating a film and media campaign on HPV vaccines for the Health and Wellbeing service, and conducting a mock trial with the Legal team.

UCL Biomedical Sciences provided students with an incredible opportunity to explore the role of research scientists with activities such as studying 3D images of a mouse brain, using a microscopy to study green fluorescent protein found in jellyfish, and writing their own research proposals on the genetic modification of mosquitoes to combat malaria.

Baroness Dinah Caine, Chair of Camden STEAM, shared:

“A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this programme such a great success. To the dedicated career leads and teachers who encouraged students to sign up and helped them prepare for these invaluable placements; to the employers for their commitment to designing and delivering such diverse and impactful work experience placements for many students; and to partners Speakers for Schools, who provided essential support in the administration of the week. This transformative programme makes a huge difference to so many young people in Camden.”

Whilst young people gained key skills needed to help them in a future career, companies also saw significant benefits from the programme.

Dan Gavan, Head of Operations at the architectural firm Piercy&Company, said:

“As a business, this work experience programme opens our doors to the local community, helping us to connect to and identify future talent. We can prove to our clients that we are a responsible company taking the steps to improve accessibility and equitability by nurturing the next generation of architects right here in the borough.”

With the support of Camden businesses, institutions and schools, Camden STEAM continues to break barriers, preparing Camden's diverse youth for the careers of tomorrow.

A total of 26 employer teams participated in the STEAM Work Experience programme: AutogenAI, Arup, Bennetts Associates, British Land, British Library, Camden Council Inclusive Economy Service, Camden Council Digital and Data Services, Camden Culture Service (Universal Music, Old Diorama, ODAC), Camden Council Legal, Camden Council Health and Wellbeing, Google, Labtech, Phoenix Court, Models 1, Moonbug Entertainment, Piercy&Company, PineBridge, Roundhouse, SCS Railways, St George PLC, UCL Life Sciences, UCL Medical Sciences, Wates, The Francis Crick Institute.

Camden businesses are invited to partner with Camden STEAM for next year's STEAM work experience programme. Reach out to them on steampledge@camden.gov.uk  to get involved.

The event, a highlight in the borough’s cultural calendar, brought together pupils, their families, dedicated teachers, inspiring music tutors, talented musicians, and composers for a joyous evening of musical celebration.

Camden's young musicians captivated audiences, with performances by the Camden Concert Band, Camden Youth Orchestra, Camden Youth Jazz Band, and school choirs. The diverse programme offered something for every musical taste, ranging from classical, jazz, folk and pop to beloved musical theatre hits.

The concert also featured collaborations with the Khiyo Band, Showmi Das, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, alongside a newly commissioned version of Kerry Andrew's 'No Place Like’, originally written for BBC Ten Pieces.

The event was organised by Camden Music with the support of the Camden Music Trust, Camden Learning, Camden Council, Arts Council England, and the London Music Fund.

Part of Camden Learning, Camden Music works closely with the borough’s schools, supporting school-based music and offering instrumental and vocal lessons. Music activities are also available for children and young people at weekends and in the school holidays. With the help of funding raised through the Camden Music Trust, Camden Music aims to make their musical offering as accessible as possible, supporting with subsidies and bursaries.

This year’s concert marked the fourteenth Camden Schools Music Festival since its launch in 1998, continuing a proud tradition of celebrating music in the borough. The Camden Schools’ Music Festival is just one of many of the events organised by Camden Music for young people to share their skills.

Gareth Gay, Head of Camden Music, said:

"I am incredibly proud to be Head of Music Service in Camden and to contribute to this wonderful event that has been running for over 25 years. Congratulations to all the pupils, their school music tutors, and the Camden Music tutors who have worked tirelessly to support this fantastic occasion. 

"Performing at the world-famous Royal Albert Hall is a unique opportunity for many of our pupils, and I know they will cherish this experience for the rest of their lives.”

Returning to compere this year’s concert was renowned journalist and TV presenter Nelufar Hedayat. A former student of Rhyl Community Primary and Haverstock School, Hedayat brought a unique and engaging presence to the stage, marking the accomplishments of the young musicians.

The evening was once again livestreamed to enable parents, carers, family, and friends who could not attend in person to share in the magic of the evening. You can watch the livestream on Camden Music’s YouTube channel and the British Sign Language interpreted livestream here.

The 2025 Camden Schools Music Festival featured:

• 16 pieces of music
• 51 schools
• Over 1,800 singers and musicians, alongside dedicated teachers, tutors, and classroom assistants.

Camden Music Trust charity works closely with Camden Music, helping to fund music projects that ensure all Camden’s children can be involved in music making – regardless of their circumstances. They rely on donations to help continue their work making music education inclusive.

Visit the Camden Music Trust website to make a donation here.

The Campus, situated in Somers Town, Camden, will be home to a two-year education pilot aimed to help inspire, inform and educate sixth form students from across Camden in the field of AI. The pilot offers students access to cutting edge resources on AI and machine learning, as well as offering mentoring and industry expertise from Google DeepMind. 

Students are provided with real-world projects which connect AI to diverse fields - including health, social sciences and the arts - to allow them to explore the range of local and global challenges that AI can be used to address.

The initial cohort is already underway - with the 32 students reflecting the diversity of Camden’s post-16 student body. Preference was given to applicants from underrepresented groups, including those eligible for Free School Meals. 

From mid-2025, students not participating in the programme will also be able to benefit, as the Campus will operate as an ‘Opportunity Centre’ which will provide out-of-school learning and support to the broader student body to enhance their access to technology, digital and foundational AI learning.

The Campus will also upskill teachers on the topic of AI using Experience AI, a free educational programme co-developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind providing teachers with the training and resources they need to engage their students in the subject of AI. 

With new funding of over £865,000 from Google.org, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is now building on the early success of the programme and partnering with Parent Zone to deliver this valuable training to teachers across the UK, with an aim of reaching over 250,000 additional students by the end of 2026.

This is part of Google’s ambition to use AI to improve people’s lives across the country - ensuring that everyone is able to seize the benefits of AI, regardless of background. 

Google has already trained more than one million people and businesses across the UK in digital and AI skills, partnering with governments, trade unions, NGOs and local communities - and recently launched the AI works programme to uncover the most effective ways to accelerate the uptake of AI skills and boost productivity across the UK.

Find out more:

• Visit the London AI Campus web page
• Camden STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths)

The borough’s provisional national 2024 test results show that 72% of 11-year-olds in Camden achieved expectations for reading, writing and maths - well above the national figure of 61% and the London average of 67%.

Education in Camden is dynamic, collaborative and creative – as well as diverse and inclusive. The Council has continued to invest in improving school buildings and facilities. 

Camden primary schools also offer a huge range of extracurricular activities - with access to world-class venues and institutions on their doorstep, ranging from the British Museum to the Francis Crick Institute. Music is important in Camden schools – and our primary schools will be among those taking part in the Camden Schools’ Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2025. The first Camden Schools Art Biennale Exhibition was held at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, Granary Square, in July 2024, showcasing the artwork of hundreds of local pupils to over 5,200 visitors.

Your child will be due to start primary school in September 2025 if they were born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021.

Find out more and apply

• Read our latest primary admissions guide, Starting school in Camden 2025
• Visit the primary admissions web page of the Camden website
• Apply for a reception class place for your child up until the deadline of 11.59pm on 15 January 2025
• Contact the Camden admissions team: admissions@camden.gov.uk

The provisional 2024 results show that the percentage of Camden Year 11 students achieving a ‘strong pass’ in GCSE English and maths – grade 5 or above in both subjects – is 50%, while the percentage of Camden GCSE students achieving a ‘standard pass’ in English and maths – grade 4 and above in both – is 66% for 2024. 

Both figures are expected to be above the national average again when these are published in the final performance tables later this year. 

Meanwhile, 26.4% of Camden schools’ GCSE exam entries in 2024 were awarded grade 7 or above, higher than this year’s national average of 21.7%, while 6.5% of GCSE exam entries by Camden schools gained the top grade 9 this year, which was also above the 2024 national average of 5%. 

Councillor Sabrina Francis, Camden's Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture, visited William Ellis School and neighbouring Parliament Hill School to congratulate students and staff.

At Parliament Hill School, the percentage of students gaining the top GCSE grades was the school’s highest yet. Forty-six per cent of exam entries at Parliament Hill this year were awarded grades 7 to 9 and 29% were at grades 8 to 9. 

Among the highest achievers at Parliament Hill School was Annabel Jervis, 16, who got straight 9s in all 11 of her GCSEs. Annabel now plans to study maths, further maths, physics and philosophy at Imperial College London Mathematics School, a specialist maths college in Finchley. She then hopes to study maths and philosophy at Oxford University. 

Fellow Parliament Hill School GCSE student Maya Mishra, 16, achieved seven GCSEs at grade 9 and three 8s. She is staying on at LaSWAP Sixth Form, a consortium of four Camden schools including Parliament Hill, to study history, English literature and religious education at A-level. Maya is also due to audition for the National Youth Theatre and would like to pursue a career in film or theatre. 

At William Ellis School, Felix Aitman-Bevan, 16, achieved six GCSEs at grade 9, two at grade 8 and two at grade 7. He was particularly pleased with his science and maths grades and planned to spend the rest of the day celebrating with friends at the park. 

Fellow William Ellis School student Anselm King got a grade 9 in his Spanish GCSE, as well as five grade 8s, two 7s and a 6. He plans to study A-levels in maths, physics, music and Spanish at Camden School for Girls sixth form. Another high achieving William Ellis student was Orlando Brown, 16, who achieved eight grade 9s, one 8 and a 7 in his GCSEs. 

Izzy Jones, Headteacher of William Ellis School, said: “We are so proud of our Year 11s and pleased with the progress they have made and achievements this year.” 

Haverstock School students were celebrating a very positive set of GCSEs, with results up on 2019, the last year before the pandemic, and also last year. 

Among the high achieving GCSE students at Haverstock School were Gaspard Tery with seven 9s, one 8 and a level 2 distinction; Mordecai Watson with six 9s, one 8 and a level 2 distinction; Aries Viray with three 9s, three 8s, two 7s and a level two Dist* (distinction starred), and Shakira Hassan with two 9s, four 8s, one 7 and one 6. 

At Hampstead School, students were also celebrating an extremely positive set of GCSE and BTEC results. Among the high achievers were Samira Mohamed Ali and Viktoria Stoyanova, who each gained five grade 9s and five 8s in their GCSEs. Hampstead School’s Headteacher, Matthew Sadler, said: “I feel proud and privileged to have worked with this Year 11 group. We’re so excited to see what they go on to achieve in sixth form.” 

At Acland Burghley School, 30% of GCSE grades were at 7 to 9. Acland Burghley GCSE student Cyrus Kriwaczek achieved straight 9s in all 10 GCSEs, while Dora Clapham got eight 9s and an 8 in her GCSEs. 

Nicholas John, Headteacher of Acland Burghley School, said: ““Once again, I am very pleased with the achievements of our students. Outcomes are consistent with our best previous years. We're especially pleased with our progress in maths and science.” 

At Regent High School, Bianca Serrano achieved six grades 7 to 9, including 9s in combined science and French, 8s in history, maths and Portuguese, and a 7 in music, while Sama Omer gained eight grades 7 to 9, including 9 in English literature and 8s in Arabic, English language, science and sociology. 

Gary Moore, Headteacher of Regent High School, said: “I am thrilled by this incredible set of results. These students were in Year 7 in the first of two lockdowns, disrupting their education, and have worked incredibly hard to achieve this wonderful set of results.” 

At La Sainte Union Catholic School, 50% of all GCSE grades achieved by Year 11 students were at 6 to 9. 

Sophie Fegan, Headteacher of La Sainte Union, said: “We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements. Their success is not just measured by their remarkable grades but by the growth, confidence and resilience they have developed throughout their journey at La Sainte Union. 

At Camden School for Girls, an amazing 20% of GCSE entries achieved the top grade 9, while 54% were at grades 7 to 9. 

Kateryna Law, Headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “This Year 11 group began their secondary school career with lockdowns in Years 7 and 8, followed by the additional challenges of catching up on their learning. They have worked incredibly hard and should be very proud of their achievements.” 

At UCL Academy, Carter Owen gained four 9s and four 8s in his GCSEs, despite the tragic death of a parent during his time at the UCL Academy. Fellow UCL Academy student Noah Dobranic highlighted the support of his parents in being role models for him. Moving to the UK without friends or family, they have achieved and shown Noah how to follow in their footsteps. Noah travelled for hours a day in his commute to the Academy, but this did not prevent him from achieving five grade 9s, two Grade 8s and a grade 7 in his GCSEs. 

Andrea Pomphrey, Interim Principal of UCL Academy, said: “I could not be more proud of the resilience and dedication shown by students and staff at the UCL Academy. It was fantastic to be able to celebrate with them and see their goals realised.” 

Maria Fidelis Catholic School students celebrated their exam successes with some outstanding results. Among those celebrating were Sania Ahmed, who achieved ten grade 9s in her GCSEs; Andreea Bajan, who got eight grade 9s, one 8 and two 7s, and Aisha Odetunde, who gained seven 9s and five grade 8s. 

Mark Anthony, Headteacher at Maria Fidelis, said: “Our students should be very proud of their achievements, and I would like to thank the staff at Maria Fidelis for all their hard work in supporting our students.” 

Information, advice and support 

If you’re a student or a parent / carer, you can visit Camden Rise website for information and advice on next steps, or support if you’re struggling:

• Exams 2024 - information and support for students
• Apprenticeships, further education, training and employment advice
• Emotional health and wellbeing support for young people

See more photos from Camden GCSE results day 2024
 

The average point score per A-level entry in Camden was 34.5 in 2024, compared with 33.3 last year. Ninety per cent of Camden students achieved at least two or more A-levels at grades A* to E this year, while 97% per cent of Camden A-level exam entries in 2024 were awarded grades A* to E, which is in line with the national average. 

For vocational results, the average point score per entry in Camden was 28.5, slightly up on last year’s results of 28.2. 

Last Thursday, Camden’s Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, Councillor Marcus Boyland, visited LaSWAP Sixth Form, which is a consortium of four Camden secondary schools, to congratulate students and staff. 

Among the individual successes at La Sainte Union Catholic School and LaSWAP Sixth Form was Augusta Jenkinson Chamberlain, 19, who gained three straight As in her maths, further maths and classics A-levels. This was despite Augusta only joining La Sainte Union aged 14, having previously struggled to find a school she enjoyed attending. She will be studying maths at the University of Birmingham and is considering a career as a maths teacher. 

Augusta’s mum Michaela Chamberlain, who was there to celebrate her daughter’s success last Thursday, said: “She has had amazing support at La Sainte Union – the school has changed her life.” 

Fellow La Sainte Union Catholic School and LaSWAP student Niamh Tarrant achieved A*s in chemistry and economics and an A in maths. Niamh has a place at Oxford University to study law in September. Niamh said: “I’m very excited for the future and I’m glad for all the help and support I’ve received from LSU.” 

William Ellis School and LaSWAP student Oisin Webb, 18, also has a place at Oxford University’s St Anne’s College to study biology after gaining an A* in psychology and As in biology and maths. Oisin said: “When I originally applied to Oxford, I thought that I might as well give it a go. I never really expected to get in so I’m quite shocked.” 

Sabbier Yousuf, also of William Ellis School and LaSWAP, gained an impressive four A-levels, with two As in maths and economics, a B in Spanish and a C in further maths. Sabbier will be off to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to study accounting and finance next term. 

Acland Burghley School and LaSWAP student, Zafar Whitlock secured a place at Newcastle University to study history and politics after achieving an A in history, and two Cs in geography and film. Zafar said: “This was the most challenging part of my education, but I worked hard and I’m pleased.” 

Among the vocational high achievers was Anouska Enoch, 18, of Acland Burghley School and LaSWAP, who gained a Dist* (distinction starred) in business and double distinctions in media. She’s off to University of the Arts London to study marketing. 

Zaraea Asuming, 18, of Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP, was another vocational high achiever, with a double distinction in business and a distinction in maths studies. She plans to study business management in London, at either St Mary’s University or King’s College. 

Peter Ormerod, also of Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP, gained four A*s in his English literature, maths, German and photography A-levels, as well as an A* in his extended project qualification (EPQ), and will be taking a one-year art foundation course at Kingston School of Art. He said he was considering studying architecture after that. 

Speaking on behalf of LaSWAP Sixth Form, Acland Burghley Headteacher Nicholas John said: “These have been LaSWAP’s best results in recent years in both academic and vocational subjects. We focus on the breadth of our curriculum across the four schools and we’re collaborating to deliver a really wide range of academic and vocational subjects for young people in Camden.” 

At Haverstock School sixth form, over 30% of Year 13 students gained places at top Russell Group universities in 2024 – a big rise from the school’s 2019 figure of 8%. Among the high achievers at Haverstock School was Imtiaz Rahman who will go on to study chemistry at Oxford University on a full scholarship after achieving three A*s and an A in his A-levels. Fellow Haverstock student Imran Ahmed gained a place at Queen Mary, University of London to study law after achieving an A* and two As in his A-levels. 

Katie Metselaar, Head of School at Haverstock, said: “Our Year 13 students have thrived following their hard work alongside fantastic support given to them by our sixth form team and other teaching staff at the school. We could not be prouder of what these students have achieved.” 

At Camden School for Girls, an amazing 19% of A-level grades awarded to the school’s Year 13 students this year were at the top A* grade, while half of the school’s 2024 A-level grades were at A* to A. 

Kateryna Law, Headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “This year, a record number of students have secured their first choice university place and we have 22 confirmed places at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and medical schools. With some brilliant destinations on the horizon, ranging from art schools, music conservatoires, apprenticeships and an impressive range of universities across the country, our students are about to embark on an exciting next step and we would like to wish them every success.” 

At Hampstead School, Jacob Forbes achieved an A and two Bs in his computing, physics and maths A-levels and he is off to Staffordshire University to study computer games development. Fellow Hampstead School student Shania Sukul achieved two A*s and a C in her art and design, English language and literature and history A-levels and she is off to study architecture at University College London (UCL). 

Hampstead School’s Headteacher, Matthew Sadler, said: “This cohort of students are the first in five years to sit public examinations in both Years 11 and 13, approaching this challenge with resilience and a fierce streak of determination. They should be very proud of their excellent results, even more proud of the incredible range of university and apprenticeship destinations they have secured, and most proud of their courage, creativity and character.” 

Students at Maria Fidelis Catholic School enjoyed some great successes this year, with Sebastian Quintero achieving an A*, A and a B in his A-levels and being accepted at Oxford University to study medicine. Sebastian said: “I worked so hard for this and I am really grateful to my teachers for their unwavering support and encouragement.” 

Other successes at Maria Fidelis included Maria Bajan, who achieved an A* and two As in her A-levels. She will be studying management at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Fellow Maria Fidelis student Armita Asadi, achieved an A and two Bs in her A-levels and has a place to study classics at Durham University. 

Mark Anthony, Headteacher at Maria Fidelis, said: “All of our students have worked so hard over the last two years and I am immensely proud of them and really pleased that their efforts have been rewarded. I am deeply grateful to the staff here, all of whom are incredibly committed to supporting our students and ensuring that they get the very best education we can provide.” 

At Regent High School, students have seen significant success in securing university places at a broad range of institutions, including University College London (UCL), King’s College London, the University of Birmingham and University of Warwick. Regent High School students are off to study subjects ranging from pharmacy and law to economics and chemical engineering. 

Among the many success stories at Regent High School are Hallie Steel, who achieved outstanding A*, A, B grades in English literature, sociology and psychology A-levels and is off to study English literature at the University of Warwick. 

Fellow Regent High School student Adeeya Sidiqui achieved a fantastic three As in her psychology, sociology and criminology A-levels and will be reading psychology at King’s College London, while Regent High School’s Rida Hussain gained three Dist*s (distinctions starred) in her applied science and health and social care vocational qualifications. Rida will now study of radiography at St George’s, University of London. 

Cathryn Israel, Assistant Headteacher and Head of Sixth Form at Regent High School, said: “I am immensely proud of the achievements of our students.” 

At UCL Academy an impressive 20% of the grades awarded were in the A* to A bracket and 14 students were awarded straight A to A*s. UCL Academy A-level student Yazdan Khasahei, an Iranian immigrant who arrived in the UK in 2020 with minimal English, has secured a place to study medicine at King’s College London. Yazdan, who is the school’s Deputy Head Boy, was awarded two A*s in maths and Persian, and two As in biology and chemistry. 

Fellow UCL Academy student Matvii Yatsenko also overcame the odds to achieve an impressive set of A-level results. A refugee who fled the war in his native Ukraine in 2022, Matvii achieved two As in economics and maths and a B in computer science. Matvii is now looking forward to studying computer science at the University of Edinburgh. 

Information, advice and support 

If you’re a student or parent, you can visit Camden Rise website for information and advice on next steps, or support if you’re struggling:

• Exams 2024 - information and support for students
• Apprenticeships, further education, training and employment advice
• Emotional health and wellbeing support for young people

See more photos and stories from Camden A-level and vocational results day 2024

Research suggests that young adults who have had engagement with the workplace as teens can earn higher wages in the future. With the support of Camden businesses, institutions and schools, Camden STEAM continues to break barriers, preparing Camden's diverse youth for the careers of tomorrow. 

A total of 32 employers participated in the STEAM Work Experience programme: AstraZeneca, AutogenAI, Arup, Bennetts Associates, Bam Nuttall, British Land, British Library, Cadent, Camden Council Inclusive Economy Service, Camden Council Digital and Data Services, Camden Spark (Universal Music, Phoenix Theatre, Roundhouse, October Gallery, Celebro Media, London Film School), Digital Catapult, Google, Hoare Lea, LabTech, Phoenix Court, Models 1, Moonbug Entertainment, Piercy & Co, PineBridge, SCS Railways, St George PLC, UCL Special Collections, UCL Biosciences, Arup Integrated City Planning (ICP), the Francis Crick Institute. 

• To contact the Camden STEAM Team, please email: steampledge@camden.gov.uk
• For more information Camden STEAM, visit camden.gov.uk/camden-steam

Running from 11 to 17 July at the Lethaby Gallery in Central Saint Martins, visitors can explore hundreds of artworks by Camden schoolchildren in an exhibition which showcases art developed by every school and every key stage of learning – from primary and special schools to secondary schools, through to A-level.

The free event is set to become a highlight of the borough’s cultural calendar as an ongoing sister-event to the much-loved Camden Schools Music Festival, which sees every music class in Camden perform at the Royal Albert Hall every two years.

Alongside the exhibition, a free events programme will be on offer, with a range of activities developed with families, young people, and art teachers in mind.

In the lead-up to the exhibition, artists have been engaging directly with schools, pupils and teachers to develop their work for the borough’s first Art Biennale.

This pilot programme aims to strengthen and inform the teaching of art in Camden schools and beyond, showcasing Camden as a centre of arts in the UK.

The programme also aims to build links between schools, arts organisations and businesses, raise students’ awareness of careers in art, design and creative practice as well as celebrate the diversity and creativity of all of Camden’s young people including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those from underserved backgrounds.

Camden’s Schools Art Biennale is taking place from 11 to 17 July, between 11am and 6pm each day, at the Lethaby Gallery in Central Saint Martins, Granary Square, King’s Cross.

The pilot initiative is hosted by Camden Council, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and Camden Learning, with support from King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership and John Lyon’s Charity.

• For more information head to the full-length Camden Schools Art Biennale press release from Central Saint Martins and partners
• On Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 July, from 12noon to 3pm each day, families can join family-friendly workshops at the Lethaby Gallery, 1 Granary Square. Get inspired with artist Melissa Fry to make art together and spark imagination. In this workshop, run by the October Gallery's learning team, you can explore new mark-making ideas, materials and improvisations. Book your free places
• You can also view and download the Camden Schools Art Biennale programme of events for schools
• See photos from the Camden Schools Art Biennale exhibition launch on 11 July.

Pupils at primary schools in Camden have exceeded expectations for reading, writing and maths, according to the latest national performance tables.

Seventy per cent of Camden’s primary school pupils have achieved expectations in the combined measure for reading, writing and maths at age 11, performing well above the 60 per cent national average. The official figures, which are based on tests taken by pupils in 2023, have been published by the Department for Education this month in their annual performance tables.

This comes as seven more borough primary schools received an outstanding grading by Ofsted last year bringing the total number of outstanding primary schools in Camden to almost 40%, while all other primary schools locally are rated good.

Kingsgate, Christ Church NW3, St Mary’s, Edith Neville, St Mary’s Kilburn, St Eugene de Mazenod Catholic and Eleanor Palmer primary schools all gained or retained outstanding status during their most recent Ofsted inspections in 2023.

Meanwhile, Great Ormond Street, Swiss Cottage and Frank Barnes special schools, which have primary-aged pupils, also received outstanding grades last year.

Your child will be due to start primary school in September 2025 if they were born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021.

Find out more:

• Read our primary admissions guide, Starting school in Camden
• Visit the primary admissions web page of the Camden website
• Apply for a reception class place for your child from 1 September 2024 to 15 January 2025
• Contact the Camden admissions team: admissions@camden.gov.uk

On Friday (20 October), the new site in Highgate was officially opened by the school’s former higher level teaching assistant turned actor Melissa Johns, alongside staff, students, parents and carers, teachers, governors and local councillors.

The Royal Free Hospital Children’s School (RFHCS) is a community special school for pupils aged five to sixteen and provides education to patients on the paediatric wards at the Royal Free Hospital.

Alongside this, the RFHCS also runs alternative provision programmes for young people experiencing medical or mental health challenges, including those under the care of the Royal Free Eating Disorders Intensive Service, which means that they are not able to attend a mainstream school.

Having previously run the outreach programmes from two separate sites, these services are now under one roof at the Konstam Centre - making them easier to access, while increasing the number of local children and young people who can benefit.

The RFHCS's new Konstam building is home to a range of specialist support from educational psychology to speech and language and drama therapy, with about 40 young people aged 5 to 16 currently accessing full or part-time support in the new building.

Young people taking part in programmes with the RFHCS also have access to therapy dog sessions, weekly visits to an equine therapy centre as well as sports activities at the Royal Free Recreation Club and Pirate Castle in Camden Lock.

Former RFHCS student Jack, 25, speaking at the launch event, said: “I don't know where I would be without this place. I didn't engage with mainstream school but I wanted to come to school when I was here [on the Royal Free Hospital site]. The work being done here is just so important - it's amazing to see how far it has come and how much it has grown.”

Education will continue to be provided by the school within the Royal Free Hospital, with all other programmes now based at the newly-refurbished space at the Konstam Centre, which caters for up to 50 children and young people. Funding for the refurbishment has come from Camden Council.

For further information on programmes and admissions, which are by professional referral only, and the latest news please visit royalfree.camden.sch.uk.

More information:

Brookfield Primary School also opened its nursery for 2-year-old children in September 2021 using the ground floor and generous outdoor areas of the Konstam Centre.

This is important provision for the local community, particularly for those families eligible for 15 hours a week of free early education.

Laurel Robin, Headteacher at Brookfield Primary School, said: “Our new partnership with the Royal Free Hospital Children's School is a very exciting opportunity. Sharing the site will enable us to continue our successful nursery for 2-year-olds, where the children make excellent transitions to our primary school. As an inclusive school, we are inspired to be working alongside the RFHCS and to collaborate on future projects together.”

Brookfield Primary School also has a 39-place nursery for 3 and 4-year-olds at their main school site. For more information head to brookfield.camden.sch.uk.  

The borough’s provisional national 2023 test results show that 70% of 11-year-olds in Camden achieved expectations for reading, writing and maths - well above the national figure of 59% and the London average of 65.

Education in Camden is dynamic, collaborative and creative – as well as diverse and inclusive - while the Council has continued to invest in improving school buildings and facilities. 

Camden primary schools also offer a huge range of extracurricular activities - with access to world-class venues and institutions on their doorstep, ranging from the British Museum to the Francis Crick Institute. Music is important in Camden schools – and our primary schools will be among those taking part in the Camden Schools’ Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in spring 2025. 

Your child will be due to start primary school in September 2024 if they were born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020.

Find out more and apply

• Read our latest primary admissions guide, Starting school in Camden 2024
• Visit the primary admissions web page of the Camden website
• Apply for a reception class place for your child up until the deadline of 11.59pm on 15 January 2024
• Contact the Camden admissions team: admissions@camden.gov.uk

The provisional 2023 results show that the percentage of Camden Year 11 students achieving a ‘strong pass’ in GCSE English and maths – grade 5 or above in both subjects – is 51%, which is well above the borough’s 2019 figure of 46% and the national average in 2019, which was 43%. 

Meanwhile, the percentage of Camden GCSE students achieving a ‘standard pass’ in English and maths – grade 4 and above in both – is 68% for 2023, the same as the borough’s 2019 figure and above the national average in 2019, which was 65%. 

This was the first year since 2019 that results haven’t been either based on teacher-assessed grades or adjusted to take account of lost learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Camden students also performed above the national average across key grade bands this year: 

• 6.8% of Camden GCSE exam entries in 2023 gained the top grade 9, compared with 4.9% nationally
• 26% of Camden GCSE exam entries in 2023 were awarded grade 7 or above, compared with 22% nationally. 

One of Hampstead School’s top students was Amr Nour, 16, who gained 10 GCSEs, all at grade 9. His mum Muna said: “He has worked hard.” 

Fellow Hampstead School student Sami Ouaziz gained a double 9 in his combined sciences GCSE, an 8 in psychology, three grade 7s, a grade 6 and a 5. He is staying on at the school’s sixth form for his A-levels. He said: "It's been a great experience here." 

Matthew Sadler, Headteacher of Hampstead School, said: “We are incredibly proud of the amazing results they have achieved.” 

At Parliament Hill School 45% of GCSE entries this year were at the top grades 7 to 9. Sarah Creasey, Headteacher of Parliament Hill School, said: "In view of the challenges in recent years and the return to 2019 standards this is a phenomenal achievement." 

Among Parliament Hill School’s top performers were Maya Chopra, who achieved nine GCSEs at grade 9 and one at grade 8 and Thea-Maria Simion-Popescu, who achieved three GCSEs at grade 9, three at grade 8 and two other GCSE passes. 

At Haverstock School GCSE results across nearly all subjects were up on 2019, the last year before the pandemic. The school’s top performing GCSE students included Bernardo Canepari, with seven 9s, two 8s and one 7, Runa Gariballa, with six 9s, two 8s and one 6, and Nejwa Seid, with six 9s, one 7 and two 6s. 

At Regent High School, Yassine Hanou did exceptionally well, achieving a 9 in history, four grade 8s in geography, maths, English literature and drama, two grade 7s in biology and chemistry and three 6s in English language, physics and further maths. Other top students at Regent High School included Ava Mogaji, who scored a fantastic three grade 9s in English language, history and RE, an 8 in English literature, as well as two 7s in art and design and French. 

Gary Moore, Headteacher of Regent High School, said: “I am absolutely thrilled by this incredible set of results. These results are a testament to our dedicated teaching and support staff as well as our diligent and ambitious students. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our families. Their support is integral to the success of our students, especially over the past few years. I couldn’t be prouder.” 

At La Sainte Union Catholic School, Lewhat Atsbaha passed nine GCSEs, with five at grades 7 to 9. She will go on to study music A-level, as well as two other subjects, hoping to go on to a conservatoire and to eventually compose music professionally. Fellow LSU student, Louise-Ann De Belen also achieved five top grades in her GCSEs and will study computer science, maths and English or religious studies at A-level. She hopes to go into software design whilst also pursuing her passion for the spoken word (Louise-Ann is a member of LSU’s Debating Society). 

GCSE students at Acland Burghley School achieved the school’s best-ever English and maths results at grades 9 to 5. The school’s top performing students this year included Luca Dodd, who achieved 10 GCSEs at grade 9 and one at grade 8, Griff Hayward, who gained nine GCSEs at grade 9 and one 8, and Nathan Levitt, who achieved nine GCSEs at grade 9 and two 8s. 

At Camden School for Girls, an impressive 22% of GCSEs were awarded the top grade 9, compared with 13% at the school in 2019. Kateryna Law, Headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “A great deal of sustained hard work has gone into these grades and every single student should be very proud of their achievements.” 

At UCL Academy Junyou Zhang achieved five grade 9s, two 8s, one 7 and a 6 in her GCSEs and is planning to continue at UCLA to study A-levels. Fellow UCLA student Oscar Worrall passed 10 GCSEs - seven at grade 9, one 8 and two 7s. He plans to study economics, maths, further maths and physics at A-level. 

• Students can find information and support on next steps on Camden Rise website
• See more photos and stories from Camden GCSEs 2023 here.
   

Among the high achieving students this year was Nathan Crawford, a care experienced student at William Ellis School and LaSWAP Sixth Form. Despite losing a family member during his studies, Nathan worked hard to gain three As in politics, history and economics A-levels and has a place to study law at the University of Bristol. Nathan said: “During A-levels, I suffered with a lot of anxiety and although I was struggling, I really threw myself into work. I also had really great teachers who helped me through, and without a question did everything to support me.” 

Fellow William Ellis and LaSWAP student Elya Ghasempour, 18, also achieved some impressive results despite arriving in the UK from Iran with little English in 2017. Elya gained a B in his A-level in music technology and a C in his physics A-level, as well as a B at AS level in maths studies and an extended project qualification in the relationship between music and language. He has applied through clearing to study music production at the University of Westminster, although he has a confirmed university offer outside London as a back-up. 

Izzy Jones, Headteacher of William Ellis School, said: “Congratulations to all the students for the amazing resilience and strength of character they have shown over the last four years.” 

Among the other individual successes at LaSWAP Sixth Form, which is a consortium of four Camden secondary schools, was LaSWAP and Parliament Hill School student Dea Bolani, 18, who achieved an A* in sociology and two As in English literature and history. Dea will be going to King’s College London in September to study history and international relations. Dea said: “I need someone to pinch me! I feel really happy and shocked.” 

Eliza Clapcott, 18, of Acland Burghley School and LaSWAP Sixth Form, gained two A*s in chemistry and biology and an A in Spanish. She’ll be studying medicine at the University of Liverpool. 

Nicholas John, Headteacher of Acland Burghley School, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what all the students have achieved. They have had the most extraordinary school experience since March 2020 and I think they are now enormously well prepared for their university journeys.” 

Moreniké Odetoyinbo, 18, of La Sainte Union and LaSWAP, gained an A* in geography, A in classics and B in politics and is off to the University of Bristol to study politics and international relations. She hopes to work in international development and is taking a gap year to travel to South America. Fellow La Sainte Union and LaSWAP student Lydia Sutton, 18, gained two As and two Bs in her A-levels and is off to the University of Birmingham to study arts and natural sciences. 

Among the vocational qualification successes was Judith Boley, 18, of La Sainte Union and LaSWAP, who gained distinctions in her health and social care extended diploma and is off to the University of Nottingham to study midwifery. 

Haverstock School’s top performer Shayan Hussain achieved an amazing three A*s and an A in his A-levels and now has a place at University College London to study physics. And fellow Haverstock student Samiyah Aktar is delighted to have a place at King's College London to study psychology having achieved two A*s and a B in her A-levels. 

At Hampstead School, Fatima Abass achieved two A*s and two As in her A-levels. She is very excited to be studying medicine at Imperial College London in the autumn. 

At Camden School for Girls, an impressive 50 per cent of A-level grades awarded to students were at A* to A, which was above the school’s 2019 figure and well above the national average. An incredible 24 Camden School for Girls students have offers of places at either Oxford or Cambridge universities. 

Kateryna Law, Headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “I would like to wholeheartedly thank all the staff for tirelessly supporting the students to achieve the best possible outcomes, never giving up on a single individual.” 

Regent High School student Rabab Kasim gained an A*, A and B grades in her A-levels and has a place at King’s College London to study history and international relations. Fellow Regent High School A-level student Mohammed Mahin Ahmed achieved an A and two Bs and will be joining SOAS, University of London to study economics. 

Cathryn Israel, Assistant Headteacher and Head of Sixth Form at Regent High School, said: “Our students have shown tremendous resilience and determination, and we are immensely proud of each student's progress and their achievements.” 

At UCL Academy, Rahim Abdul gained two A*s and an A and is looking forward to studying economics at the University of Warwick. Fellow UCLA student Maria Cabral de Mouram is off to the University of the Arts London to study graphic and media design after gaining an A*, two As and a B in her A-levels. 

• For advice on next steps and wellbeing support, students can visit Camden Rise website
• You can see more photos from Camden's 2023 A-level and vocational results here.

Parents and carers can find out more about Camden secondary schools and how to apply at school open events this term. 

These are a great way for parents and carers to find out more about the schools for themselves before applying. You can download a poster with all the dates and times here. Please note: the open morning that was scheduled by Parliament Hill School on Wednesday 4 October has been moved to Thursday 12 October, due to rail / tube strikes - more details here.

Local group Meet the Parents also holds its own independent forums at local primary schools, where families can ‘meet the parents’ and students who attend their local secondary schools. Find out more about these events here.

You can also read about Camden secondary schools, what they have to offer your child, and the admissions process in our annual Secondary Schools in Camden guide for parents, which is now published on our website.

Further information

Your child will be due to start secondary school in September 2024 if they were born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013.

The next round of Year 7 applications for 2024 entry begins from 1 September 2023. You need to apply before the deadline of 31 October 2023.

Find out more and read the 2024 secondary school admissions guide

Organised by Camden’s music service, with support from the Camden Music Trust, Camden Learning, Arts Council England and London Music Fund, 2,000 children from across Camden’s schools came together to perform a fantastic array of original, classical, jazz and international songs.

Held at one of London’s most famous music venues, the Royal Albert Hall, the festival brought together pupils and their families, teachers, music tutors, musicians, and composers for the first time in person since the pandemic.

The centrepiece for this year’s concert was ‘Camden to the Caribbean’, a newly composed piece created with children from St Alban’s, St Mary and St Pancras and Fleet primary schools, and Regent High School as part of a Windrush project they took part in during the autumn term.

Musicians from performance group Kinetika Bloco worked with students on drums, steel pans and brass instruments as part of the piece, which took inspiration from four countries in the Caribbean.

‘Camden to the Caribbean’ was funded by Camden’s Culture Service and the London Music Fund and could only be brought together for performance by the full cast of 2,000 performers on the day.

Taking place biennially, this was the 13th Camden Schools Music Festival to take place since 1998, also marking the 25th anniversary of the event.

For the first time, the event was livestreamed to parents, carers, family, and friends of the children who could not be there in person.

The 2023 Camden Schools Music Festival featured:

• 10 ensembles
• 15 pieces of music
• 53 schools
• 1,800 singers and countless teachers, tutors, and classroom assistants.

See more photos from the festival here.

Camden Music Trust - donate today

Camden Music Trust charity works closely with the Camden Music Service, helping to fund music projects that ensure all Camden’s children can be involved in music making – regardless of their circumstances. They rely on donations to help continue their work making music education inclusive. 

Visit the Camden Music Trust website to make a donation here.

The pupils at Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children and King’s Cross Academy primary school are members of the Signing Stars Signing Choir. The weekly lunchtime choir sessions are for children aged 8 to 11, both hearing and D/deaf, who are at all levels of British Sign Language (BSL), including beginners. 

The initiative is part of the ongoing collaboration between the two schools, which are next door to each other in Wollstonecraft Street, King’s Cross. As well as interpreting some of their favourite songs in BSL, the children take part in fun activities, including finger spelling in sign language and giving themselves their own BSL sign names. 

Louise Wilks, Frank Barnes School’s in-house interpreter who leads the sessions, said: “It is a fully signing choir, in which the children also use their facial expressions and body language to interpret the songs. They choose which songs they want to perform. We started in October last year and have performed a couple of times in the local area already. We want to do more public performances and we’re also hoping to enter the national signing choir competition. The King’s Cross Academy children have weekly BSL classes at their school, but this is a fun activity that they can join in with children from Frank Barnes. It’s also a great way to teach English for both hearing and D/deaf children because the language in songs is so rich.” 

Dani Sive, Headteacher at Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children, said: “During the pandemic we were unable to do any joint activities with King’s Cross Academy. We’re now enjoying more collaboration. As well as the Signing Stars choir, the two schools are working on joint curriculum projects, a playground consultation, and a project with the Global Generation Story Garden, in King’s Cross. Pupils from both schools will also be attending the Camden Schools Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall together in April.” 

Kay Baxter, Acting Headteacher at King's Cross Academy, said: “Music and British Sign Language are important to us at King’s Cross Academy, and are celebrated, promoted and encouraged. Being part of the Signing Stars Signing Choir has strengthened the collaboration between both schools, while helping to develop pupils' self-esteem, confidence as signers and friendships. Pupils are able to nurture their creativity through signing and performing together, a truly wonderful experience for all.”

Find out more: 

• You can find out more about the Signing Stars Signing Choir and see two videos of their performances here
• Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Inspectors said that the school “provides exceptional opportunities for deaf pupils”
• Camden’s Local Area SEND Strategy, 2022-27 was published in November last year. You can read the full report and an executive summary of the strategy here
• Camden Council’s children’s services have been interpreted into BSL to make them accessible to D/deaf parents and carers. You can watch this BSL video here
• The British Sign Language Act 2022 recognises BSL as an official language of the UK. 
   

Under the proposals, the CCfL Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), in Agincourt Road NW3, would be renamed Heath School, while the CCfL Special School, in Harmood Street NW1, would become known as Harmood School. If approved following the consultation, the changes would be implemented from the start of the summer term. 

At the same time, the governing bodies of both Haverstock School and CCfL are consulting on becoming a ‘hard’ federation, to be called H3, with a single governing body. This will build on the collaboration between the schools, under the leadership of Executive Headteacher James Hadley, that has been in place for just over a year.

The schools welcome your feedback on the two consultations, which both run from 2 February to 17 March. Please respond to the name change survey here and the H3 Federation survey here. 

Since last year, CCfL has undergone a significant period of change. The pupil referral unit (PRU) has merged into one school, meaning there are now two distinct provisions at the two sites.

The Harmood Street site is CCfL’s 11 to 16 special school, with 35 places for students with social, emotional and mental health needs, who also have education, health and care plans. Increasingly, students are coming to the school at a younger age, where they receive specialist support to enable them to access the full National Curriculum at Key Stage 3, before pursuing a range of academic and vocational qualifications at Key Stage 4.

The Agincourt Road site is an 11 to 16 PRU, with places for students who have been permanently excluded or 'managed moved' from other settings. Agincourt also leads on the Borough-wide 'Camden Pathways Programme', which commissions and quality assures a range of long-term off-site directions from mainstream settings to vocational Key Stage 4 providers. Agincourt places a heavy emphasis on students' personal development to enable them to return to mainstream or an appropriate alternative setting. 

CCfL entered a collaboration with Haverstock School in January 2022, under the leadership of Executive Headteacher James Hadley. With Haverstock already housing the Camden Reintegration Base (CRiB) and due to open an additionally resourced provision (ARP) in September 2023, the schools are working closely to provide a continuum of provision for some of the most vulnerable children in Camden. 

Following a community consultation, the Governing Body of St Dominic’s Primary School has taken this decision to issue the notice. The proposal arises from a steep fall in pupil numbers, which affects the future viability of the school.

At the start of the community consultation, the school had a total of 121 pupils on roll and 89 vacant places, which is one the highest proportions of surplus provision in Camden.

All pupils will be guaranteed the continuation of their education within a Camden school. The Council and Diocese would work with all parents to look at the available options for school places, including local Catholic provision.

You can object to or make comments on this statutory proposal by emailing stdominics@camden.gov.uk.

The closing date for responses is Thursday, 16 February 2023 at midnight.

A decision on the future of the school is scheduled for the March 2023 Cabinet meeting.

For more information on the proposal, please visit: camden.gov.uk/stdominics.

The borough's provisional 2022 test results for 11-year-olds show that 71% of Camden pupils achieved expectations in the combined measure for reading, writing and maths - well above the national figure of 59% and the London average of 65%. 

Education in Camden is dynamic, collaborative and creative – as well as diverse and inclusive - while the Council has continued to invest in improving school buildings and facilities. 

Camden primary schools also offer a huge range of extracurricular activities - with access to world-class venues and institutions on their doorstep, ranging from the British Museum to the Francis Crick Institute. Music is important in Camden schools – and our primary schools will be among those taking part in the Camden Schools’ Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2023. 

• Read our latest primary schools admissions guide – ‘Starting school in Camden 2023'
• Visit the primary admissions web page of the Camden website
• Apply for a reception class place for your child up until the deadline of 11.59pm on 15 January 2023
• Contact the Camden admissions team: admissions@camden.gov.uk

 
The Governing Body of St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School has launched a consultation, which started on 12 October and runs until 30 November 2022, into whether the school should close. If the proposal went ahead, all pupils would be offered places at alternative local schools – including local Catholic primary schools.

The Governors’ decision to consult on closing the school has primarily been made because the number of primary school-age pupils locally - and across London - has significantly reduced. Despite the steps taken by school governors and leadership of St Dominic’s to actively market the school to increase enrolment, the pupil roll has been below 50% and falling over the past three years, adding significant financial pressure on the school.

Have your say before 30 November:

• Download and read the consultation document here
• EASY-READ version of the consultation
• Read the school governors' FAQs for parents and carers (Part One) in response to questions and comments so far - 19/10/22
• Read the school governors' FAQs for parents and carers (Part Two) in response to questions and comments so far - 01/11/22
• Email your responses to the questions and any other comments you may have to stdominics@camden.gov.uk

Camden Learning is the local partnership between every state school in Camden and the Council. It supports schools’ development, improves teaching and learning practices, encourages collaboration, and supports delivery of Building Back Stronger, Camden’s ambitious Education Strategy. It also aims to attract, retain, and develop the very best teachers, headteachers and school leaders for Camden schools. 

Stephen Hall will take the position of CEO of Camden Learning from Thursday (1 September) after previously being the Assistant Director for School Standards and Improvement at Hackney Education.

Before becoming an Assistant Director, Stephen was the Executive Headteacher of the Viridis Federation of Orchard, Southwold, and Hoxton Garden Schools in Hackney.

Stephen has extensive experience in and across schools and leadership, including working as an Advanced Skills Teacher and a National Leader in Education. Stephen is also an Ofsted inspector.

Find out more about Camden Learning at camdenlearning.org.uk. 

• 9.1% of Camden GCSE exam entries gained the top grade 9, compared with 6.6% nationally
• 32.7% of Camden GCSE exam entries were awarded grade 7 or above, compared with 26% nationally
• 65.4% of Camden GCSE exam entries were awarded grade 5 or above, compared with 58.1% nationally. 

Councillor Marcus Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, who was at Regent High School yesterday (Thursday) to speak to students and staff there, said: “There have been some fantastic GCSE results in Camden – and it was also great hearing about the wonderful achievements of students taking BTECs and other vocational qualifications. The lockdowns during the pandemic were extremely hard for everybody so a big shout out to all our students and the teachers who have supported them so well during this period. It was lovely to see how happy the teachers were for the students who were with them celebrating such brilliant GCSE results.” 

Regent High School GCSE student Nadia Hussain achieved an incredible 11 of the highest grade 9s in biology, chemistry, physics, English language, English literature, French, maths, further maths, geography, product design and business studies. Nadia is Regent High School's highest achieving student this year, and in the school’s recent history. She plans to study maths, further maths and physics A-levels at the King’s Maths School, London, and is considering a career in engineering. 

Nadia said: “I was expecting to get maybe six or seven grade 9s – but not all 11 of them!” 

Not far behind was Tahia Ahmed, of Regent High School, who achieved a stunning 10 grade 9s and a grade 8 in her GCSEs. She will study A-levels at Camden School for Girls, with a view to reading law at university. 

Both of Camden’s Youth MPs, Samir Qurashi and Aya Elgool, and one of the borough’s two Deputy Youth MPs, Hdayet Otaky, attend Regent High School – and all three of them were very happy with their GCSE results. Samir scored a fantastic six grade 9s in biology, business studies, chemistry, geography, maths and Spanish, as well as four grade 8s and a grade 6. He wants to read medicine at Oxford, Cambridge or University College London and will be preparing for this by studying A-level biology, chemistry, geography and maths at Camden School for Girls Sixth Form. 

Aya got a grade 9 in drama, as well as two 8s and six grade 7s among her 10 GCSEs, while Hdayet got a grade 9 in history, six grade 8s and two 7s among his 10 GCSEs. 

Gary Moore, Headteacher of Regent High School, said: “I am absolutely thrilled by this incredible set of results, which are a testament to the fortitude shown by our Year 11 students during an international pandemic. They have been focused, demonstrated significant amounts of resilience, and worked tirelessly to overcome the disruptions at the start of Key Stage 4 to triumph in the recent examination series. I couldn’t be prouder!” 

Top performers at Haverstock School included James Farmer, who got eight grade 9s and two 8s and is joining Haverstock’s Sixth Form to study maths, physics and computer science, and Mirielle Mendel, who got seven grade 9s and two 8s, and is joining Haverstock’s Sixth Form to study English literature, history and French. 

At Parliament Hill School, 55% of grades were at 9 to 7, compared with 26% of exam entries nationally. Among the high achievers were Parliament Hill GCSE students Eden Bailey-Davies, who achieved six grade 9s and four 8s, and Maggie Ketteridge, who got eight grade 9s and two grade 8s. Eden said: “I feel like I should never have doubted myself because I knew deep down all the hard work would have paid off and it did.” 

Among the top GCSE students at William Ellis School were Xander Russell, who achieved three top grade 9s and 6 grade 8s; Luis Lemos-Mutua, who got five grade 9s, two 8s and two 7s and Sabbier Yousuf who gained five grade 9s, including further maths GCSE, and four 8s. 

Izzy Jones, Headteacher of William Ellis School, said: “We would like to commend the students for their maturity, resilience, and persistence through two and a half years of disruption. This can be seen in their individual stories of achievement and progress. I would especially like to thank our staff and the students’ families for providing consistent support and guidance to them. For the whole community, it has been a real team effort.” 

At La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School, Niamh Tarrant achieved straight 9s in all her GCSEs. Niamh has enrolled to study chemistry, maths and physics A-levels at LaSWAP Sixth Form, which is a consortium of four schools including La Sainte Union, with a view to applying for chemical or nuclear engineering at university. 

Acland Burghley School also had some impressive performances in GCSEs, including from Oscar Kriwaczek, who achieved nine straight grade 9s, as well as Luka Cutler and Sean Dodgson, who each got eight grade 9s and an 8. 

At Hampstead School, Subhan Hussain achieved 11 GCSEs, including eight grade 9s and two 8s, while Frankie O’Sullivan got 11 GCSEs, including seven grade 9s and four 8s.

At UCL Academy, James Galloway was rewarded for his hard work with five grade 9s in his GCSEs, including in Mandarin Chinese, and five 8s, while Viola Muhaxheri achieved five grade 9s, four 8s and one 7. 

At Maria Fidelis Catholic School, particular congratulations went to Nafisah Amran, who achieved eight grade 9s and one grade 8 in her GCSEs, and Mehreen Hussain, who achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and a grade 7 in her GCSEs and intends to continue studying at Maria Fidelis for her A-levels. 

Meanwhile, at Camden School for Girls an impressive 59% of the school's GCSE grades were at 9 to 7 and 95% at grades 9 to 4.

• Students can find more information and support on next steps on Camden Rise website
• See more Camden GCSEs 2022 photos here

Eighty-five per cent of Camden students achieved at least three or more passes at A* to E in 2022, while 96% of Camden students passed at least two A-levels at grades A* to E. 

Councillor Sabrina Francis, Cabinet Member for Young People and Culture, who was at LaSWAP Sixth Form to join the celebrations with students and staff yesterday (Thursday), said: “A massive well done to students in Camden who received their A-Level results and other qualifications today. After what has been a challenging couple of years for schools, students should be so proud of the resilience and commitment they’ve shown to achieve such amazing results – you’ve all made Camden proud today. I wish students well for the future - and remember, there are so many fantastic opportunities available for young people in Camden if you aren’t sure on next steps – from a range of apprenticeships, work experience programmes and further and higher education opportunities.” 

Councillor Marcus Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, said: “Congratulations to students who received their A-level results, BTEC and other vocational qualifications today. It’s been a challenging period for students, teachers and school staff - this is a fantastic achievement and I wish you all well in your future endeavours. We’re so proud of the brilliant education settings we have here in Camden. Our teachers are central to this, and I’d like to thank them for everything they do to support students, whose hard work has helped to make such positive results possible.” 

While the Class of 2022 have all suffered severe disruption to their education caused by the pandemic, few have faced the challenges that Ajmal Noormal, 19, of Acland Burghley School and LaSWAP Sixth Form, has overcome. Ajmal arrived in the UK from Afghanistan just over two years ago with poor English, and is now off to the University of Essex, on a full scholarship, to study biomedical science. He gained distinctions in his two vocational qualifications, which were a BTEC in applied science and an extended certificate in applied business, as well as gaining a maths A-level. 

Jack Hale, also of LaSWAP and Acland Burghley School, will be studying criminology at Manchester University this September after receiving a brilliant three As in history, media, and English literature A-levels. 

Among the other individual successes at LaSWAP Sixth Form, which is a consortium of four Camden secondary schools, was LaSWAP and William Ellis School student El Ducluzeau, 17, who achieved As in physics, maths and computer science A-levels, as well as a B in chemistry, and is off to King’s College London to study physics with astrophysics and cosmology. El said: “I thought I would flop maths and chemistry but I studied really hard for a few months and it worked.”

Daniel Arkell, also of William Ellis School and LaSWAP, gained an A* and two As in his A-levels and has a place at Oxford University to study philosophy, politics and economics. 

Among the high performers at Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP was Jackson Perez, who got an A* in film studies, two As in classics and English Literature and a B in her drama A-level. She will be completing a one-year internship at an animation company before studying film and drama at Exeter University. 

Amber Smith, also of Parliament Hill School and LaSWAP, achieved an A* in product design, an A in maths and an A in physics. She’ll be studying product design engineering at Loughborough University. 

Parliament Hill and LaSWAP student Elske Tierney gained two A*s in English literature and religious education A-levels and an A in textiles and will be studying an arts foundation course at Central Saint Martins. 

La Sainte Union and LaSWAP student Kezia Adewale, gained an A in drama, and two Bs in politics and history and will be going to Queen Mary University of London to read international relations. 

Amy Gasana, also of La Sainte Union and LaSWAP, achieved four A*s – in chemistry, biology, maths and her extended project qualification (EPQ) and will be reading biochemistry at University College London (UCL). 

Top performers at Haverstock School included Levon Davtyan, who achieved four A*s and is going to UCL to study computer science; Shania Leurs, who achieved two A*s and a B and is going to Birmingham University to study politics and Olt Hyseni, who achieved three As and is going to Nottingham University to study computer science. 

James Hadley, Executive Headteacher at Haverstock, said: “Our Year 13 students have had to overcome more challenges than any year group in living memory. This makes their achievements nothing short of extraordinary. Congratulations to them all!”

At Regent High School, Aniqa Rahman achieved an A* and two A grades in her A-levels and will be studying history at UCL. 

Other top performers at Regent High School included Asha Ahmed, who gained an A* and two As in her A-levels and will be going to Imperial College London to study biomedical engineering, and Mohammed Imad Khan, who achieved A*, A and B grades in his A-levels, as well as an A in AS level further maths, and will be studying maths and economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). 

At Hampstead School, Glenis Hajrullahu achieved four A*s in his A-levels and is very excited to be going on to study medicine at King’s College, London. 

Also at Hampstead School, Finlay Sleeman gained three A*s in his A-levels, as well as an A* in his extended project qualification (EPQ) on the impact of the Sino-Japanese war. He will be studying economic history at LSE in September. Fellow Hampstead student Yuxin Chen achieved an A* and two As in her A-levels and is looking forward to studying maths at UCL next year. 

Among the high achievers at UCL Academy were Nayeeb Choudhury, who got straight A*s in his four A-levels and is looking forward to taking up his place at LSE to study economics and Nora Salam, who achieved an A* and two As in her A-levels and has secured her place at the University of Edinburgh to study history. 

Successsful A-level students at Maria Fidelis Catholic School are looking forward to taking up places at top universities and art colleges. Mikaella Loppnow achieved two A*s and two As in her A-levels and will be going on to study computer science at the University of York; Daniel Santangelo got two A*s and a B in his A-levels and he will be going on to study art at Central Saint Martins, while Kayla Pascal received an A* and two Bs in his A-levels and will be going to Warwick University to study psychology with education.

Helen Gill, Headteacher at Maria Fidelis Catholic School, said: “I am immensely proud of all the students, who have worked so hard in what have been very challenging times. I would also like to acknowledge and thank all the staff at Maria Fidelis, whose dedication and support helped our students achieve what they have.”

Meanwhile, Camden School for Girls A-level students were celebrating another set of impressive results, with an 82% A* to B pass rate. 

• Students can find more information and support on next steps on Camden Rise website
• To see more Camden A-levels 2022 photos and stories visit our Flickr photo gallery here.

Camden secondary schools have been holding open days and evenings during September and October - and will also hold open events in November for their sixth forms. These are a great way to find out more about the schools for yourself before applying. You can download a Camden secondary schools open events 2022 poster here. Please note that Hampstead School's Sixth Form open evening is on Thursday, 17 November, at 5pm - not 10 November, as advertised incorrectly on the poster.

You can also read about Camden secondary schools, what they have to offer your child, and the admissions process in our annual Secondary Schools in Camden guide for parents, which is now published on our website.

The high-quality teaching and supportive environment at Camden's secondary schools aims to help every student reach their potential - whether your child’s aim is a place at a top university, an excellent apprenticeship or landing a great job.

Your child will be due to start secondary school in September 2023 if they were born between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012. The next round of Year 7 applications for 2023 entry begins from 1 September 2022. You need to apply before the deadline of 31 October 2022.

• Find out more and read the 2022 secondary school admissions guide
   

The refurbished Grafton Road building now incorporates an expanded Rhyl Nursery, catering for children aged two to four, as well as offering excellent learning experiences for Rhyl’s Reception and Year One pupils. 

Years Two to Six are based at Rhyl Street, with the primary school now operating over two sites, while offering a range of community provision for parents and the local community from the Grafton Road building as part of the initial development of a Community Hub, together with the launch of a new Children’s Centre and Adult Learning Centre.

Today, the Mayor of Camden and TV personality Gail Porter helped to officially open the new school site and Community Hub. See more photos from the launch here.

The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Sabrina Francis, said: 

“Over its two sites, Rhyl Community Primary School can now offer exceptional education for children from ages two to 11, with multiple extracurricular and enrichment opportunities. I’m delighted to also see the launch of the Community Hub and the expansion of Rhyl’s inclusive and creative approach to learning extended to two-year-olds within the nursery. 

“There’s also a growing and extensive programme of activities and support for parents, children and the community, including mother and daughter exercise classes, under-fives stay and play drop-ins, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and adult community learning classes, including beginners’ IT sessions. 

“It is wonderful to hear that Rhyl has also been working with the Council’s Job Hub to deliver parent employability workshops from this Grafton Road site, which has remained in use for the benefit of the school and the local community.” 

Rhyl Community Primary School’s Executive Headteacher, Helen Connor, said: 

"We are delighted that we have been able to extend and build upon our excellent educational provision to children and families, from early years through primary school and onto secondary school. We are building a unique school with exceptional support for children, parents, families and the local community, and there is no doubt that Rhyl will truly be a school at the heart of the local community.” 

Councillor Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, said: 

“Rhyl Community Primary School is a brilliant school for local families in Gospel Oak and Kentish Town and this new Community Hub is a fantastic development that will further enhance what is on offer for parents, families and the wider community.” 

Peter Ptashko, a member of Rhyl’s Governing Body who has supported the Community Hub development, said: 

“Myself and the entire Governing Body are delighted to see the launch of the Community Hub and the expansion of our inclusive and creative approach to learning extended to two-year-olds. This project has been several years in the making and represents an innovative opportunity for localised community services to be brought together and offered to the school’s surrounding Queen’s Crescent community, following the merger of Carlton into Rhyl Community Primary School. I have been delighted to champion this exciting project - that represents an incredible legacy for both schools - from the beginning and we will continue to work with our local community to enhance and expand this provision in Gospel Oak and beyond over the coming years.” 

Following significant investment by the Council, Rhyl Community Primary School expanded onto two sites from September 2021. Extensive improvements to the Grafton Road building have created an integrated nursery and primary school offering early years and primary education, plus an array of family and community support, from 8am to 6pm for local families with children aged two to 11. 

Background information: 

• In March 2021, Camden Council's Cabinet agreed to merge Rhyl and Carlton primary schools, closing Carlton Primary School to tackle surplus school places, whilst keeping the former Carlton site open for education and community use under the leadership of Rhyl, which has been operating from two sites since September 2021
• As part of the refurbishment of the Grafton Road building, the site and facilities remain in use for the school’s local community and for the benefit of children and their families. A programme of activities and support for parents, children and the community is now running 
• Meanwhile, the Council has also invested in improvements to the playground of the Rhyl Street site, which is also home to the Rhyl Kitchen Classroom - the school’s innovative community kitchen for top quality food education.

For more details about Rhyl Community Primary School, their new nursery, as well as their Community Hub of family and community activities or support, please contact the school. 
 

Executive Headteacher Helen Connor, who has been in post since 2014, is an exceptional headteacher with over 20 years’ experience. Since taking up her post, Helen has created a learning environment at Rhyl where every child can thrive, balancing academic rigour with a vast range of extra opportunities for its pupils. 

Rhyl is particularly proud of its reputation for inclusion that is second to none. Rhyl is increasingly recognised across the borough for its broad and creative curriculum and dynamic leadership, and for the high quality of its art, music, outdoor learning and food education. The school runs a trailblazing programme called Raising Aspirations, partnering with organisations such as Facebook (Meta) and The Ritz to broaden children’s horizons in the world of work. 

The refurbished Grafton Road building, in the heart of Gospel Oak and Kentish Town, now incorporates an expanded Rhyl Nursery, catering for children aged two to four, while the site also offers high quality teaching for Rhyl’s Reception and Year One pupils. 

Years Two to Six are based at Rhyl Street, with the primary school now operating over two sites, while offering a range of community provision for parents and residents from the Grafton Road building as part of the development of a Community Hub. 

Following significant investment by the Council, Rhyl Community Primary School expanded onto two sites from September 2021. Extensive improvements to the Grafton Road building have created an integrated nursery and primary school offering early years and primary education, plus an array of family and community support, from 8am to 6pm for local families with children aged two to 11. 

Rhyl’s Executive Headteacher, Helen Connor, said: "We are now able to extend and build upon our excellent provision to children and families, from early years through primary school and onto secondary school. This, together with our new programme of activities and support for local parents, families and residents, means that Rhyl will truly be a school at the heart of the local community.” 

Cllr Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, said: “Under the headteacher’s leadership, Rhyl Community Primary School has become a truly remarkable school. Over the two sites, Rhyl can now offer an exceptional education for children from ages two to 11, with multiple extracurricular and enrichment opportunities, and I encourage local families to come and have a look around and consider applying for a place. I’m also excited about the development of a Community Hub at Rhyl, which will further enhance what is on offer for parents, families and the wider community.” 

Peter Ptashko, a member of Rhyl’s Governing Body who has supported the Community Hub development, said: “Myself and the entire Governing Body are delighted to see the launch of the Community Hub and the expansion of our inclusive and creative approach to learning extended to two-year-olds. This project has been several years in the making and represents an innovative opportunity for localised community services to be brought together and offered to the school’s surrounding Queen’s Crescent community, following the merger of Carlton into Rhyl Community Primary School. I have been delighted to champion this exciting project - that represents an incredible legacy for both schools - from the beginning and we will continue to work with our local community to enhance and expand this provision in Gospel Oak and beyond over the coming years.” 

Background information: 

• In March 2021, Camden Council's Cabinet agreed to merge Rhyl and Carlton primary schools, closing Carlton Primary School to reduce school places overall and tackle surplus places, whilst keeping the former Carlton site open for education and community use under the leadership of Rhyl, which has been operating from two sites (Grafton Road and Rhyl Street) since September 2021
• As part of the refurbishment of the Grafton Road building, the site and facilities remain in use for the school’s local community and for the benefit of children and their families. A programme of activities and support for parents, children and the community is now running, including mother and daughter exercise classes, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and adult community learning classes, with more to be announced
• Meanwhile, Rhyl is working with the Council’s Job Hub to deliver parent employability workshops from the Grafton Road site during this February’s half-term, while the Council has also invested in improvements to the playground of the Rhyl Street site
• The Rhyl Street site is home to the Rhyl Kitchen Classroom - the school’s innovative community kitchen for top quality food education. The fully-equipped kitchen is in the heart of the school’s outdoor classroom and food garden, enabling teaching and learning from ‘plot to plate’
• For more details about Rhyl Community Primary School, their new nursery, as well as their family and community activities or support, please contact the school.
   

Education in Camden is dynamic, collaborative and creative and the Council has continued to invest in improving our school buildings and facilities through the Community Investment Programme.

The borough's latest (2019) test results for 11-year-olds showed that 73% of Camden pupils achieved expectations in the combined measure for reading, writing and maths - well above the national figure of 65%. (Note: the 2020 and 2021 tests were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak).

Camden primary schools also offer a huge range of extracurricular activities - with access to world-class venues and institutions on their doorstep, ranging from the British Museum to the Francis Crick Institute.

Find out more:

• Read our latest primary schools admissions guide - 'Starting school in Camden 2022'
• Visit the primary admissions web page of the Camden website
• Apply for a reception class place for your child up until the deadline of 15 January 2022
• Contact the Camden admissions team: admissions@camden.gov.uk

Following a comprehensive consultation led by Camden Council and a decision by the Council’s Cabinet in March 2021, Rhyl Community Primary School will be expanded to include the site of Carlton Primary School from September 2021.

Teaching will take place on both sites, as well as new facilities and services opening, including new nursery places for two-year-olds.

Both schools supported the merger which was decided after falling school pupil numbers in the area meant both schools risked becoming financially unviable in the future.

Relaunching as Rhyl Community Primary School, the merged school will be open for primary pupils aged between five and eleven in the Kentish Town and Gospel Oak area, in addition to expanded nursery places.

Carlton Primary School’s site and facilities will also remain in use for the school’s local community and for the benefit of children and their families. The Council is working closely with both schools and the local community to develop a Community Hub on the site of Carlton School to include innovative new early years, family and community support services on the premises.

To engage with the local community, an informal working group led by both schools are working to understand the needs and aspirations for the Community Hub to ensure local people are at the centre of the Hub’s development. Activities and services running from the Hub will aim to start from September 2021.

• For more details about Rhyl Community Primary School and their new Nursery, please contact the school: www.rhylprim.camden.sch.uk/contact-us/
• For more information on the merger, as well as background / relevant documents, please visit camden.gov.uk/carlton-and-rhyl-primary-schools-consultation-on-proposals

Although schools remained open for vulnerable children and those of critical workers, next week will see all pupils return to school for the first time since they closed at the start of the year.

With support from the Council, Camden Learning and Camden’s Public Health team, schools are working hard to ensure all the necessary safety measures are in place to protect pupils, staff and families.

Pupils and families are asked to keep schools safe by:

• Washing their hands regularly
• Maintaining social distancing where possible, especially at the school entrance and crowded areas
• Following the safety measures of each school
• Staying at home if a parent or their child (or someone they live with) have symptoms and getting tested
• Walking, cycling or scooting to school if possible, rather than taking public transport
• Parents and carers can contact their schools with any questions they may have or organise a meeting with a school nurse who can speak to families privately about any concerns.

In addition:

• Primary school staff will continue to test with lateral flow devices (LFDs) twice a week at home
• All secondary school and college students will be tested on-site with LFDs as they return to the classroom from 8 March
• Secondary school and college staff will also be provided with two tests to use each week at home
• Early years staff will also have access to home testing
• Staff and students in secondary schools and colleges are advised to wear face coverings in all areas, including classrooms, where social distancing cannot be maintained, as a temporary extra measure. At present, the guidance indicates that face coverings are not required in primary and early years settings. Any variations to this guidance would therefore need to be based on personal and situational risk assessments.

For school nurses, please email camdenschoolnurses@nhs.net or call 020 3317 2304.

Visit camden.gov.uk/schools-children-and-families for more information.

The main proposals in the consultation are:

• Merge Rhyl and Carlton primary schools by formally closing Carlton Primary School as a legal entity. The merged school would be under the leadership of Rhyl Primary School and would include the site of Carlton Primary School
• Reduce school places overall to tackle surplus places
• Keep the Carlton Primary School site open for education and community use.

The first phase of this public consultation runs from today (Monday, 28 September) until Monday, 16 November.

Find out more and have your say:

• Visit the consultation web page here

The borough's 2019 provisional test results for 11-year-olds show that 73% of Camden pupils achieved expectations in the combined measure for reading, writing and maths - well above the national figure of 65%.

Camden primary schools also offer a huge range of extracurricular activities - with access to world-class venues and institutions on their doorstep, ranging from the British Museum to the Francis Crick Institute.

Education in Camden is dynamic, collaborative and creative and we've continued to invest in improving our school buildings and facilities through our Community Investment Programme.

Find out more:

• Read our latest primary schools admissions guide - 'Starting school in Camden 2020'
• Visit the primary admissions web page of the Camden website
• Apply for a reception class place for your child up until the deadline of 15 January 2020
• Contact the Camden admissions team: admissions@camden.gov.uk

Provisional GCSE results show the percentage of Camden students achieving a ‘standard pass’ in English and maths (grade 4 and above in both) in 2019 is 68%, an increase of two percentage points from the borough’s 2018 result (66%) - and well above the 2018 national result (64%).

The percentage of Camden students achieving a ‘strong pass’ in English and maths (grade 5 and above in both) in 2019 is 47%, which is the same as in 2018 and well above the 2018 national result (43%). Students are now awarded GCSE grades of 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest, after the government reformed the grading system over the last two years.

One of the highest-performing Camden secondary schools was Parliament Hill, which along with neighbouring William Ellis School and LaSWAP Sixth Form, is benefiting from £30 million of new and refurbished facilities through the Council’s Community Investment Programme (see below).

Sarah Creasey, headteacher of Parliament Hill School, said: “We are incredibly proud of all the Year 11 girls who received their GCSE results today. Performance at Parliament Hill has been extremely impressive, with 41% of grades at 9 to 7 (the new A* / A grades). With students taking new demanding GCSEs across all subjects, this is a phenomenal achievement. It’s also really exciting that our students will be returning to new and refurbished facilities next term.”

Among the students celebrating at Parliament Hill on Thursday (22 August) was Asma Maloumi, who is also Camden’s Deputy Youth MP and a leading member of Camden Youth Council. Asma was overjoyed to get seven of the top grade 9s in her GCSEs, as well as three grade 8s. She's staying on at Parliament Hill and the school’s linked sixth form, LaSWAP, to study English literature, history and French A-levels.

Asma said: “The last year has been so busy. A lot of times I thought ‘I can’t study and be on the Youth Council’. That’s what I’m really proud of - that I put in the work and was able to do well and do both. I’m celebrating with a nice dinner with family and some stress-free time.”

Her fellow Parliament Hill GCSE student Sasha Lewis achieved an incredible nine GCSEs at grade 9 and one grade 8. Sasha said: “I’m so happy - I want to be a doctor and I’m studying biology, chemistry, maths and Spanish for A-level. I’m celebrating at Reading festival this weekend."

At William Ellis School, GCSE student Oliver Paul was delighted to get three grade 8s, including an 8 in his music GCSE, three 7s, three 6s and one 5. He’s heading off to the Reading Festival to celebrate. Oliver is a violin player and said he has been playing since he was aged five or six.

On the funding of new music rooms at William Ellis by the Community Investment Programme (see below), Oliver said: “We had the new music rooms through the whole GCSE year and they were really great. They have proper rehearsal spaces, which really helped and they’re big enough for even a full band.”

Meanwhile, Haverstock School’s students were celebrating a strong set of GCSE results. Ahmednour Abdi was one of Haverstock's top performers. He achieved two 9s, two 8s, two 7s and a 6, which included much better science results than he expected. Ahmednour said he was now rethinking what A-levels he will take after getting a 9 and 8 in his combined double science GCSE.

Among the other high-achievers at Haverstock School was Abigail Silva-Matthews, who got two 9s in her English language and literature GCSEs, two 8s, two 7s and a 6, as well as distinctions in performing arts and music BTECs.

Haverstock GCSE student Aimee Louisa Clapham plans to follow her uncle into a career as a police officer with the Met Police - she got an 8 in English literature, 7 in sociology, 6s in English language and citizenship and a distinction in her performing arts BTEC.

James Hadley, headteacher at Haverstock School, said: “GCSEs are harder than they have ever been but Haverstock students and their teachers have worked incredibly hard. We are very proud of them.”

At Regent High School, the school’s top performing student was Diana Vorona, who achieved a brilliant four grade 9s in English language, geography, history and Russian, three grade 8s, three grade 7s, and one grade 6.

Camden School for Girls students achieved outstanding results in their GCSEs this year, with 90% achieving grades 9 to 4 (standard pass) in both English and maths and 75% achieving grades 9 to 5 (strong pass) in both English and maths.

Elizabeth Kitcatt, headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: “I am delighted with these outstanding results. They are well-deserved by an extremely hard-working set of students, and they were exceptionally well-supported by the excellent teaching staff. I am especially pleased to see a total of 126 grade 9s achieved by our students - the very highest grade in the new specifications.”

Background notes:

• Students and staff at Parliament Hill School are looking forward to moving into brand new facilities next term, including the new Kite Building, which is part of a £30 million investment by our Community Investment Programme - the Council’s plan to build council homes, schools and community facilities through the sale of new homes and underused assets
• William Ellis School and the LaSWAP Sixth Form consortium, which comprises Parliament Hill, William Ellis, Acland Burghley and La Sainte Union secondary schools, have also benefited from this £30 million CIP investment on the Parliament Hill, William Ellis and LaSWAP sites
• See more photos from Camden secondary schools GCSEs 2019

Provisional figures show that the average points score per A-level entry in Camden in 2019 is 4.9 points higher than the previous year - up from 29.5 to 34.4, despite significant changes to the exams nationally over the last three years (see notes below).

The percentage of Camden A-level exam entries awarded A* to E in 2019 is 98.1%, which is higher than the national average this year of 97.5%.

The percentage of Camden students achieving three or more A* to E grades in 2019 is 80.2%, while the percentage achieving two or more A* to E grades is 92.9%. These are an increase on last year’s overall A-level results.

Councillor Angela Mason joined students and staff at LaSWAP Sixth Form on Thursday (15 August) to congratulate them on their successes.

LaSWAP is the joint sixth form for four Camden secondary schools - Acland Burghley, William Ellis, Parliament Hill and La Sainte Union. About 400 students were collecting their A-level results at LaSWAP today, where 99% of A-level entries passed at A* to E. Seventy-three per cent of A-level entries by LaSWAP in 2019 were graded at A* to C, 44% A to B and 17% A* to A, which compares well with previous years and is slightly up on last year.

Among the individual LaSWAP and William Ellis School students celebrating on Thursday was Abel Ayettey, 18, who has a place at Christ Church College, Oxford University, to study maths after gaining an A* in maths, an A* in further maths, and an A in physics.

Former Camden School for Girls student Chhaya Lad, 18, moved to LaSWAP Sixth Form so she could study product design as one of her A-levels. She’s now off to Nottingham Trent University to study for a degree in product design having gained an A in her A-level in that subject, along with an A in psychology and a C in maths.

Nicholas John, headteacher of Acland Burghley School speaking on behalf of the LaSWAP schools, said: “We are delighted with these results. We have a comprehensive offer with pathways for everybody - both academic A-levels and vocational qualifications, including BTECs in subjects ranging from performing arts to health and social care. We’re very pleased with the progess in maths A-level at LaSWAP this year, where 70% of students have received an A* to C, and our results in modern foreign languages, including French, Spanish and German.”

Meanwhile at Regent High School’s sixth form, Muslima Bilkis achieved A, B, B grades in English literature, history and psychology. Muslima said the staff at Regent Sixth Form had been ‘”so supportive”. She is heading off to Queen Mary, University of London, to study history and politics.

Delighted Haverstock School A-level student Rui Costeira is off to King’s College London to study physics. He got two As and one B in his A-levels, which were physics, maths and chemistry.

James Hadley, headteacher at Haverstock School, said: “We are delighted that our students’ hard work has been rewarded.”

Students at Camden School for Girls achieved another set of outstanding results in 2019, with 14% of all grades at A*, 44% of all grades at A* to A and 77% of all grades at A* to B.

Elizabeth Kitcatt, headteacher of Camden School for Girls, said: "These are exceptionally strong results, reflecting extremely hard work by students and teachers, and consistent support from parents."

Background notes:

• The reformed A-levels have eliminated coursework and AS-level grades no longer count towards final A-level grades
• This year’s results mark the first year since students moved into their new LaSWAP Sixth Form building, which features green ‘living walls’. The new building was funded through the Community Investment Programme, which is the Council’s plan to build council homes, schools and community facilities through the sale of new homes and underused assets
• 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. 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 A-level results here

On Wednesday (10 July) some of the fantastic creative work that has been coming out of this partnership was on show in an exhibition at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

The Camden STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) Hub is led by Camden Council, Camden Learning and a team of five schools - 21 primary and secondary schools have taken part in the last year. In year two, a further 15 to 20 schools will take part in the hub so that, by the end of the year, two thirds of Camden schools will have participated.

The Camden STEAM Commission brings together the borough’s schools, businesses and other key institutions to highlight Camden’s unique STEAM economy and build better connections between schools and businesses.

The Commission’s report examined the importance of the fusion between creative, digital and scientific skills, which young people will need to access 21st Century jobs, and looked at ways to address barriers to participation and under-representation. Since the launch of the Commission’s findings, a partnership of Camden officers and leaders from our schools and colleges - the Camden STEAM Team - have been working on the development of a programme of activity in Camden. As well as the STEAM Hub, this includes:

• The 21st Century Talent Pledge – 41 employers have signed so far, including Argent, Arup, Bennetts Architects, the British Library, Eurostar, Exterion Media, Google, Lendlease, LabTech, the Roundhouse, Ted Baker, UCL and the Wellcome Trust.
• STEAM Ambassadors - builds a network of trained, DBS-checked volunteers who can support schools in a variety of ways, such as lesson activities, careers talks, speed networking, assemblies and mock interviews. 54 STEAM Ambassadors from 23 organisations have been trained since December.
• Camden Challenge – Last summer the Ted Baker Challenge ran for 15 young people. In July this year, five Camden Challenges will be delivered by Argent, Conran Design Group, Lendlease with Central Saint Martins, Heatherwick Studios x STORE, and Ted Baker – with places available for 80 young Camden residents / students to take part. 

Dinah Caine, Chair of the Camden STEAM Commission, said:

“Our STEAM programme aims to promote Camden’s successful creative and knowledge economy and to ensure our businesses continue to succeed by having access to diverse, young, local talent. For this to happen, it’s vital that today’s local young people and subsequent generations have STEAM embedded into their education, their out-of-school activities, their careers advice and work placement opportunities, working in close partnership with business, education, young people and the council.”

Find out more: 

• Visit camden.gov.uk/steamcommission

The reason for the proposal to close the school is:

• a fall in the number of children joining the school, leading to over 40% of the school’s places being unfilled in 2018/19
• fewer school age children in the local area, reflected in Camden’s ‘live births’ data 2005/6 to 2016/17
• 421 actual primary school places from reception to Year 6 were unfilled within the local Planning Area in 2018/19.

Further information is in the ‘2018 Annual School Places Planning Report’. The period of representation runs for four weeks, until 4pm on Friday 5 July 2019. You can respond by writing to the governing body at the school or by emailing StAloysius@camden.gov.uk 

A report on any representations received will be made to Councillor Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, at a single member decision meeting on 18 July 2019.

• Visit our education web pages for copies of this summary notice and the full proposal

“The Diocese of Westminster and the governing body at St Aloysius Catholic Primary School, following discussions with Camden Council, have decided to consult on closing the school.

“The decision to consult has been taken because in recent years there have been fewer applications for school places at St Aloysius, resulting in a falling number of pupils. This means that the school is no longer attracting enough funding to maintain current staffing levels. In addition, the school’s buildings need significant investment to bring them up to modern standards.

“In common with other London boroughs, Camden is experiencing a decline in the numbers of primary pupils, mainly due to a drop in the overall birthrate.

“Parents, staff and the local community will now be consulted about this proposal. However, preparations are being made ahead of any decision to offer reassurance and a clear way forward for families and staff if the governors’ proposal to close the school is agreed by the Council.

“Following the consultation, a decision is due to be taken before the summer term ends to give families greater certainty about the future of their children’s education. If the school closes, no child would be left without the offer of a suitable school place.”

Background information:

• The nearest Catholic Primary School, Our Lady’s, will expand to accommodate children from St Aloysius
• There are also currently places available in other local primary schools and families will have a choice of schools for their child if St Aloysius Catholic Primary School closes
• Parents and carers will be given sufficient time to consider their options and support will be on offer for those families who need help with the decision
• No child will be left without the offer of a suitable school place
• Discussions will take place at an early stage with school staff and their unions to identify redeployment opportunities
• Camden, in common with other London boroughs, is experiencing a decline in the numbers of primary pupils, mainly due to a drop in the overall birthrate – currently the equivalent of 200 pupils below what was forecast for 2018-19 by the Greater London Authority back in 2013.

Relevant documents:

• Letter to parents at St Aloysius, 24.4.19 (PDF)
• Consultation leaflet (PDF) - please respond by Wednesday 5 June 2019
• If you have any comments, please email StAloysius@camden.gov.uk before 5 June.

It enables local schools, which are members of Camden Learning, to work together for the good of their pupils – sharing expertise in teaching and learning to drive improvement across the borough.

Camden Learning is a limited company, set up as a joint venture between local schools and the Council. Building on our strong relationships with schools to create more innovative connections, Camden Learning works with schools to improve teaching and learning while sharing responsibility for the achievement of children and the excellence of all schools.

Although other education partnerships have been set up across London, the depth and degree of collaboration in Camden goes way beyond what exists in other parts of the capital or the country. Ninety-six per cent of Camden schools are currently rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, which is 10% above the national average. We have more than twice as many outstanding primary schools (40%) compared with the rest of the country.

Former Ofsted Chief Inspector Christine Gilbert, who is Chair of Camden Learning, said: “By harnessing the talent and potential of those who work in our schools, we are sharing learning and creating better and more innovative practice in our classrooms. Although much remains to be done, we have shown that bringing teachers, headteachers and other education professionals together can make a real difference to children in our schools.”

Developing inspiring teaching and learning through school-led hubs has been a priority. There are 10 learning hubs running this year, covering key areas ranging from primary reading assessment and secondary maths to music learning, early years education and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths).

Well over three quarters (87%) of Camden schools participated in at least one learning hub last year, with some schools taking part in more than one. Yesterday (Thursday, 24 January) Camden Learning held its first AGM where the Annual Review 2017-18 was agreed and board members reappointed.

And today (Friday, 25 January) Camden Learning's Managing Director Jon Abbey joined the panellists at a STEAM Hub event for teachers and headteachers at the Wellcome Trust, Euston Road, which was also attended by high-profile speakers from the worlds of the arts, business and science.

Nicholas John, Headteacher of Acland Burghley School, said: “What’s good about Camden Learning is that it’s innovative, collaborative, sustainable – and it’s local.”

Find out more:

• Visit camdenlearning.org.uk
• Read or download the Camden Learning Annual Review 2017-18 (PDF)
• Watch 'Camden Learning in Action' (short film)

We know, through our Camden 2025 conversations, that air quality is a real concern for our residents. We’re committed to addressing these concerns through our new Clean Air Action Plan.

The Clean Air Action Plan has been developed with the help of our Clean Air Partnership, made up of Camden residents, schools, community groups and businesses. Via our engagement exercise which ran this summer, you have given your feedback on the partnership’s ideas and everything you’ve told us has helped to refine the draft Clean Air Action Plan, which focuses on seven key areas:

• reducing emissions from buildings

• cutting construction emissions

• reducing pollution from vehicles

• supporting communities and schools to cut pollution

• reducing emissions from delivery services

• raising awareness and improving public health

• lobbying central government.

We want to hear your thoughts so we can make sure our final Clean Air Action Plan reflects our residents’ clean air ambitions for Camden.

Give your feedback online before 15 February.

Regent High School

Gary Moore, headteacher of Regent High School, said: “We are committed to enabling our students to understand the importance of healthy eating and establishing good eating habits for life. Our menus are nutritionally-balanced and there is a wide choice, catering for different tastes and needs.

“We have a high number of students who are eligible for free school meals, and our staff work hard to ensure that all eligible families apply and take advantage of this important offer. The Pupil Premium funding that we receive from registered children also helps to provide additional support for students and healthy breakfasts before their exams.”

Acland Burghley School

Dylan Owen, director of learning at Acland Burghley School, said: “Our dining hall is at the centre of the school community and we aim for meal times to be a community event enjoyed by all. Eating properly is an essential part of ensuring you succeed during your school day.

“Students who are entitled to a free school meal are encouraged to take up their meal every day. We have invested in making the dining hall as pleasant as possible. The food is healthy and balanced, with fruit salad on offer every day, as well as a salad bar. Students also get to enjoy traditional favourites, such as sponge and custard and fish on Fridays. We included chicken wraps after reading responses to our student canteen survey.”

Free school meals

Parents who claim benefits or who are on a low income can apply for free school meals for children in year three right up to year 11 in secondary school. To find out if you’re eligible and to apply, visit camden.gov.uk/fsm or call 020 7974 5771.

Photos: 1. Regent High School Headteacher, Gary Moore, in the school's dining hall with students Poema (left) and Jasmine. 2. The salad bar in Acland Burghley School's recently revamped dining hall.

Many Camden schools are very popular, so it is best to use all six preferences. We strongly recommend that you apply online - the majority of parents did so last year.

Primary pupils in Camden consistently perform above the national average in test results for 11-year-olds. Our 2018 results show that 72% of Camden pupils achieved expectations in the combined measure for reading, writing and maths - well above the national figure of 64%.

Camden primary schools also offer a huge range of extracurricular activities - with access to world-class venues and institutions on their doorstep, ranging from the British Museum to the Francis Crick Institute.

Find out more and apply online:

• Read or download our new guide to ‘Starting school in Camden 2019’
• Apply online for a reception place
• Visit our primary admissions web page
• If you are unable to apply online or have any particular questions, please email admissions@camden.gov.uk or phone 020 7974 1625.

Photos by Nadine Brandt, Philip Wolmuth and Justin Thomas.

Parents of primary pupils in years five and six can find out more about what Camden’s secondary schools have to offer their children at our annual Moving On event from 4pm to 6.30pm on Thursday, 20 September 2018 at Haverstock School, Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm. All our secondary schools are due to be there. You need to register for your free place.

You can visit the schools on their own open days and evenings in September and October - download a poster here.

Meet the Parents, a local social enterprise, will also host informal discussion forums from this September for primary parents to find out more about their nearest secondary schools.

Applications for autumn 2019 places open this September and the closing date to apply for these Year Seven places is 31 October 2018. Read our latest guide to Camden secondary schools and how to apply here.

Whether it is a place at a top university, an excellent apprenticeship or landing a great job, the high quality teaching and supportive environment at Camden's secondary schools aims to help every student reach their potential.

Our schools have fantastic links with world-leading businesses, universities and cultural organisations and offer a brilliant range of extracurricular activities.

Find out more:

• Visit the secondary admissions web page
• Register to attend the Moving On event on 20 September
• Download a school open days and evenings poster
• Email admissions@camden.gov.uk or call 020 7974 1625.

They were awarded GCSE grades of 1 to 9 - with 9 being the highest - for most subjects this year. Last year only English and maths were in numbered grades.

Provisional results show that the percentage of students achieving a ‘standard pass’ in English and maths - grade 4 and above in both subjects - across Camden is 66% this year, which is expected to be above the national result when the final performance tables are published later this year.

The percentage of students achieving a ‘strong pass’ in English and maths - grade 5 and above in both subjects - across Camden in 2018 is 47%, also expected to be above the national result. On both measures, students’ results this year are in line with the previous year, despite significant changes to the exam system.

Students from Parliament Hill School and William Ellis School picked up their GCSEs from the brand new LaSWAP Sixth Form building yesterday (Thursday). Funded through the Community Investment Programme, the new £4.5m LaSWAP building is the first to be finished in the Parliament Hill and William Ellis redevelopment, which will deliver further new school facilities over the next year. With its spacious study areas and planted green wall the new building has been designed to create a sixth form with a campus feel.

Councillor Angela Mason, the council's Cabinet Member for Best Start in Life, was at the LaSWAP building yesterday to congratulate Parliament Hill and William Ellis students.

Among the top students at William Ellis School was Jamil Hasan, whose nine GCSE passes included five at the highest grade 9, two at grade 8, one 6 and one 5.

Parliament Hill School student Katy Gimson was one of the school’s top performers with seven grade 9s and three grade 8s in her GCSEs.

And Molly Cohen, also of Parliament Hill School, achieved an impressive three 9s, six 8s and one 7 in her GCSEs.

Another top student at Parliament Hill, Gracie Oddie-James, got 10 GCSEs, including three 9s, four 8s and an A* in Latin.

Overall, 80% of students at Parliament Hill School achieved a grade 4 pass or above - a 'standard pass' - in both English and maths and 60% achieved a grade 5 or above - a 'strong pass' - in both subjects.

At Haverstock School, 66% of students achieved the ‘standard pass’ in English and maths - grade 4 and above in both subjects - and more than half of GCSE grades in all subjects taken by Haverstock students were awarded grade 5 or better.

Top performers at Haverstock included Derome Robinson, with three grade 9s, three 8s, one 7, two A*s and one A.

James Hadley, who became headteacher of Haverstock School a year ago, said: “We are delighted that our students have risen to the challenge of the new GCSEs. Their efforts have been rewarded with some fantastic results. Huge congratulations to them all.”

Councillor Abdul Hai, Cabinet Member for Young People and Cohesion, who was there to congratulate Haverstock students yesterday, said: “Their hard work has paid off. Well done to all the students and staff.”

• See more photos from Camden GCSE results 2018 here
• Find out more about Camden secondary schools and apply for a year seven place. The deadline for applications is 31 October 2018
• Come to our Moving On event for parents of primary pupils moving up to secondary school, which will be held at Haverstock School on 20 September. Register for your free place here

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.

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

The Camden Music Festival, held every two years and now in its 20th year, is organised by the council’s music service and participating schools, including our primary, secondary and special schools, with support from the Camden Music Trust and sponsors.

The event was compered by Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow, who described himself as a ‘proud Camden resident’. Jon Snow said: “It is not every day children as young as seven get to sing in the Royal Albert Hall – what an amazing experience.”

Highlights this year included an original composition called Wondrous Machine by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment composer James Redwood working with children from Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children, Swiss Cottage School, Gospel Oak Primary School and St Patrick’s Primary School. Based on a piece by Purcell, it involved every musician in the venue.

Among the other stand-out pieces was On Mass, a powerful drum and brass composition performed by students from William Ellis School, UCL Academy and Regent High School with musicians from Kinetika Bloco, as part of a collaboration with the Roundhouse.

Another world premiere was Mind the Gap, written by primary pupils using music sequencing software at the Camden City Learning Centre and taking inspiration from automated announcements on the London Underground.

The Camden Music Festival was fully inclusive, with children from Frank Barnes School joining in songs using British Sign Language and also playing instruments, while Swiss Cottage School’s students were heavily involved in Wondrous Machine and other pieces.

There were outstanding performances from the Camden Youth Orchestra, Camden Youth Jazz Band, Camden Concert Band and massed choirs of primary and secondary pupils.

Other guests at the event included Councillor Angela Mason, Camden’s Cabinet Member for Best Start in Life; Martin Pratt, the council’s Executive Director of Supporting People, who praised the ‘joyful’ peformances and thanked everyone for their contributions, and Mike Cooke, the council’s Chief Executive.

Funding to support the Camden Music Festival this year came from Arts Council England, Camden Council, Camden Learning and the Camden Music Trust, which is continuing to fundraise in support of the work of the music service.

Find out more:

• camdenmusictrust.org
• See more photos from the event

The event, in collaboration with Camden Giving, gave young women aged 14 to 16 from our schools the chance to meet 35 successful women from businesses, cultural and academic organisations, hospitality and catering, local charities, the NHS and the council.

Meanwhile, taking inspiration from the women’s suffrage movement, Camden Council is launching our annual arts programme, called ‘Camden VOX’. Camden VOX will celebrate and explore themes of equality, place, history and power. The programme offers free and low-cost arts and cultural events for those who live, work in and visit the borough. Camden is committed to addressing inequalities by helping to make arts opportunities accessible to everyone, developing new cultural audiences, and encouraging participation in the arts from underrepresented groups

Camden VOX will feature theatre, pop-up performances, song, spoken word, exhibitions, commissions and artist-led, drop-in family friendly workshops across the borough.

• For more information on the Camden VOX programme, visit: lovecamden.org/camdenvox
• See more photos from the International Women's Day speed networking event