Pupils from Rydal Penrhos School continue to reach new heights with record achievements at the top of the A-level scale.
Out of 41 A-level candidates, 40% were awarded A* and A grades, (the A* is awarded to candidates who score more than 90% in their final papers). 14 candidates achieved at least one A*.
The outgoing head boy, Thomas Warrington, was awarded 4 A*s, which has secured him a place at Cambridge University to study Engineering.
Eleanor Murphy, Natasha Kanvinde and Gary Wu were awarded 2 A*s each, and Harriet Barlow, Nick Bellamy, Freya Cassia and William Pullman also scored one apiece.
The top grades were achieved in Biology, Chemistry, Design & Technology, English Literature, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Religious Studies. Just over 64% of pupils scored grades A* – B, which is an improvement on last year’s best ever figure for those grades at the school.
The results of the International Baccalaureate were published in July, and the average points score of 31.6 represented an improvement on last year’s performance for the 26 candidates who sat this year’s IB exams. The average UCAS points score for the school’s IB candidates was a remarkable 420 points, equivalent to 2 A*s and an A grade for each candidate. Amelia Dunton, deputy Head Girl, scored 42 points out of a maximum 45, and Joel Sugarman scored a very impressive 39. Amelia is going to study English at Leeds, while Joel will be studying Medicine at University College, London.
When the A-level and International Baccalaureate results are combined, the average UCAS points score is 367 points, which represents the equivalent of three A grades for each candidate.
These results confirm that the school excels in preparing its pupils to achieve real academic success in the Sixth form. The breadth of subjects in which pupils achieved the highest grades – four A*s in English Literature alone – shows that the school equips its pupils for a wide range of university courses as the next stage towards their chosen careers.
The Headmaster, Patrick Lee-Browne offered his congratulations to all this year’s leavers:
‘Everyone who sat their final exams this summer worked really hard, and the results are a credit to them and their teachers. The school takes great pride in the achievements of every one of its leavers, and there are just as many individual successes for those who have not hit the headlines, but who have worked hard and really earned their final grades, as the top performers have also done.
‘We are delighted for all our leaders who have applied to university this year and have secured their chosen places to take them on to the next stage of their education. The Sixth form at Rydal Penrhos has prepared them well for higher education, and their academic achievement and wider contribution to the life of the school will stand them in good stead. They have been a credit to the school, and I am sure that they will go on to achieving great things in the future – I wish them all the best.’