Proud students at St Vincent College in Gosport are looking forward to the next steps on their career journey after achieving A Level and BTEC success.
The results saw 100 per cent of students achieving A Levels at grade A* to E, with 69.7 per cent of all students achieving A* to C grades in three or more subjects and 25.9 per cent achieving A* to B grades.
The results come against the background of a return to stricter, pre-pandemic marking standards.
Among the many success stories is Melissa Francis, 17, who achieved three Distinction*s in Business and Psychology BTECs. She has a place at the University of Bath where she will be studying marketing.
She said the exams were the first external ones she’d sat after her GCSEs teacher-assessed because of the pandemic. “It was nerve-wracking but I was also really excited to sit them,” she said.
Sophia Beattie, 18, also had three Distinction* in Health, Human Biology and Psychology at BTEC. She also said sitting exams had been a step into the unknown. “We had a lot of help from the teachers at St Vincent to prepare us but sitting there was still a really new
experience, it was nerve-wracking,” she said. “I’m so pleased to get the Distinctions, I’m still in shock.”
She is taking a gap year before studying mental health nursing at Birmingham University.
Amy Holden, 18, achieved a Distinction*, a Distinction and a C in Psychology, Business and Sociology at BTEC and will be studying Psychology at the University of Southampton. “I very pleased with what I got, it was hard waiting for the results,” she said.
Oscar Williams, 18, will be studying commercial photography at Bournemouth after achieving an A* in Photography, an A in Contextual Studies and a B in Graphics at A Level. “The exams were quite tough but I got through it and I’m really pleased to have passed,” he said. He would like to go on to a career in portrait photography.
Mums Charlotte Day, 36, Abbie Smith, 27, and Sophie Keen, 27, are all celebrating after returning to their studies on an Access to HE course and passing with distinctions. Sophie, who had to take a break during the course to give birth, will study midwifery at Southampton University.
“It has been tough but I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “I was inspired to study to be a midwife after going through a difficult birth. I just want to make a difference to other women who are going through the same thing.”
Principal Andy Grant said: “The overall results are amazing for the college, the best ever A Level results we’ve achieved,” he said. “The number of students who have achieved high grades means that all of our students can go on to the university of their choice.
“Our BTEC results surpassed even our expectations and they’re much higher than I think the national trends will show.
“Today is a real opportunity to celebrate, it’s a validation of the work that we’ve done with the students to develop their resilience to give them that practical experience of what exam situations are like and the support services that have been implemented to help students deal with the post-pandemic challenges that young people have faced. It’s just wonderful to see, it’s my favourite time of the year.”