Sheffield pupils celebrate another year of impressive A-Level results

At Tapton School the foyer was buzzing with pupils, some anxiously awaiting their grades and others grinning from ear to ear after receiving theirs.

This year, 66 per cent of the school’s pupils got A* to B grades, a slight drop on last year’s peak of 71 per cent but still well above the national average of 58 per cent.

Headteacher, Kat Rhodes, said everyone at the school was ‘thrilled’.

She said: “We are really pleased we have students going off to lots of different destinations studying things like music, architecture and fashion.

“We have seven students going to Oxford and Cambridge, eight studying medicine and four dentistry - going all across the country from Edinburgh to London.”

“All the kids have worked really hard and all the teachers are really supportive and go the extra mile for the students.”

Kat said she got more nervous on A-Level day than GCSE day as it was the final time the staff will see the students before they head off into the big wide world.

“It is so important to them and means so much as it is their future,” she said.

“I can still remember all the kids at age 11 and it is really interesting to see how they have grown and all the amazing things they are going to do.

“A lot of people talk about the bad things about kids but on days like this you see all the wonderful things they have achieved and how they can make a difference to the world.”

Meanwhile, over at High Storrs School 33 per cent of all grades handed out to pupils were A* or A.

Director of sixth form Laura Mason said “The hard work of this motivated cohort has really paid off. Today we are celebrating some truly fabulous top grades but also, and just as importantly, many students who have really applied themselves and achieved well beyond their targets.”

Sarah Sims, head of Silverdale School, congratulated pupils after 90 per of all grades were A* to C and at UTC Sheffield City Centre A-Level pass rate rose to 98.2 per cent, compared to 97 per cent last year and it also saw pupils succeed in technical qualifications.

Alex Reynolds, principal of UTC Sheffield City Centre, said: “We would like to congratulate our students on their achievements this year. Our students leave us with excellent technical skills and qualifications ready to move on to their next phase of their careers.”

Christian Marriott made history by being the first student from UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park to secure a place to study maths at Oxford.

Christian achieved grades A*, A* and A in maths, further maths and computer science. He also gained a distinction in a computing technical qualification. He said: “It was a bit of a shock when I opened my results and really exciting to know I’ve got my university place.”

Students at Notre Dame High School secured an overall pass rate of more than 99 per cent. Steve Davies said he was ‘delighted’ with the results.

At Sheffield College, the pass rate for 16 to 18-year-olds rose to 89 per cent.

Anita Straffon, deputy chief executive, said she was ‘proud' of the students and wished them well.

Pupils at Longley Park Sixth Form achieved 210 passes at A* or Distnction* for vocational qualifications.

Principal Mo Nisbet said: “We are delighted to see an improvement in our Advanced Level pass rate and that so many of our students continue to achieve grades that will take them on to the most competitive universities in the country.”