After an unwanted and unnecessary hullabaloo, caused by unclear and shifting guidance, results are in. In the ‘year without exams’, pupils at Oswestry School are celebrating excellent results and, importantly, their places at universities of choosing, with close to 100% of applicants securing their first or second choice university, including Meredith Bryson, Head Girl, heading to Durham to read psychology, and Ivan Majic securing his place to read mathematics at UCL.
The allocation of grades this year has been challenging, with teachers’ assessed grades being globally overruled at the last. Inevitably, in a smaller school, there is often a great variation of pupil performance and there are areas in need of appeal and the School expects some grade improvements to follow. It is therefore invidious to crow about results which were largely the product of a statistical process, but with 40% of grades awarded in the A*-B category, these reflect well the strength of the Sixth Form pupils and the hard work of teaching staff.
Julian Noad, Headmaster, commented: “Our Upper Sixth pupils have endured the most challenging of times, with examinations as well as the much-anticipated farewells stolen from them.
“However, even in lockdown, they never ‘left’ the School, instead engaging with extension work and preparation for university projects such their brains have remained active and they are focussed on the challenges ahead.
“They leave Oswestry School well-equipped to follow successful careers and play their part in societies all around the globe. They are deserving of huge praise for their academic achievements but also their wider contributions to the co-curriculum and our community at large.
“I thank them all and wish them every future success and happiness.”