Hanley Castle Students Celebrate Excellent A level Results
Hanley Castle High School students have once again coped admirably with the new, tougher A levels introduced during the last three years. The overall pass rate was 5% up on 2018 at 98%, with the percentage of students gaining grades A*-C also up on last year at 73%.
A large proportion of students achieved outstanding individual results ensuring that the vast majority secured their places at Russell Group and other top universities. There were a number of star performers, with Sophie Sparrey, Jamie Emerick, Maddy Lloyd and Amelia Toghill leading the way.
Sophie Sparrey was the stand-out performer with A* grades across all her subjects which included biology, chemistry, economics and the extended project. Sophie will now take up her place at Southampton University to study medicine. Sophie was delighted with her results, but most proud of her A* grade in economics.
Jamie Emerick gained an A* grade in chemistry and A grades in economics and history. Jamie is off to Trinity College, Oxford, where he will be reading law. Jamie’s main emotion was relief as he felt that his results were ‘definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders.’ Jamie will be joined at Oxford by Georgia Cooper, head girl of Hanley Castle High School, whose top grades secured her a place at St Anne’s College to study French and Portuguese.
Madeleine Lloyd was another star performer, with an A* in mathematics and A grades in further maths and French.
Amelia Toghill was delighted with her A* grade in mathematics and A grades in physics and chemistry. Amelia is heading off to Exeter University where she will be studying physics. Amelia was particularly pleased with her A* in mathematics, commenting that ‘the papers were really hard – almost impossible!’.
Head boy, Louis Crawford, is also celebrating an exceptional set of results. Louis gained a Distinction* in computer architecture and systems, as well as a B grade in business studies and a C in economics. Louis is already enjoying a successful career working at ITS Construction Personnel, sourcing traders and labour for the construction industry.
Hanley Castle students, including Louis, achieved outstanding Level 3 BTEC results in subjects including computer architecture and systems, business studies and sports studies. Over 60% of the grades awarded were at Distinction or Distinction* - equivalent to A and A* grades at A level.
The success of Hanley Castle students in both academic A levels and the more vocational BTEC courses means that more students than ever will be taking up their places at top universities, on higher level apprenticeships or with some of our very best local and national employers.
The percentage of students achieving the highest grades was particularly strong in further mathematics, chemistry, art, history, English literature, French and film studies.
Headteacher, Lindsey Cooke commented:
‘What a wonderful year group this was. Throughout their time at Hanley Castle these students have worked exceptionally hard to maximise their potential, not just in their academic work, but also in sport, drama and music. They have raised huge sums for charity, as well as supporting each other brilliantly, in bad times as well as the good. They are the kind of students who give young people a good name. We are proud of them all as they leave us to take up their places in the wider world.’