ST VINCENT Sixth Form College students celebrated in the sunshine as Executive Principal Andy Grant praised their hard work after the Gosport college saw encouraging Level 3 results.
The mood matched the cheery weather as students prised open their results envelopes to bring their anxious wait to an end.
In Law, the whole year group achieved high grades, with 80 per cent gaining Distinctions or Distinctions*. Half of all BTEC Extended Diploma Music Performance students achieved three D*grades, and all achieved at least one Distinction grade.
A Level Art students had a successful year, with a 100 per cent and 70 per cent achieving A*, A or B grades.
Among those beaming with joy were Poppy O’Callaghan and Mia Bolton, both 18 from Alverstoke. They got good passes in Criminology, Psychology and Photography, which means Mia will be going to Winchester University to study Forensic Investigation.
Poppy has yet to decide where she is headed next but is looking at photography apprenticeships. They said they both enjoyed their course, particularly photography and learning how to use cameras and set up lighting.
Music student Aiden Cox, 18, from Forton, enjoyed his course but is now looking into engineering as a career. “There were a lot of assessments throughout the year so I felt confident about my grades but it still feels pretty good to get them today,” he said.
He plays guitar and vocals and enjoyed the course, especially the discipline of music and learning about managing gigs. He praised the support he received, especially from teacher Max. “He was great, honestly I could not have done it without him,” he said.
Friends Fiorella Caraccio and Chelsea Lawson, 18, of Gosport, both studied Biology, Criminology and Psychology.
Fiorella will be studying Forensic Science at Bath Spa University, while Chelsea is going to study Biomedical Science at Canterbury Christ Church University.
They said they both enjoyed the college experience and found the courses challenging. “We are very excited to have got into uni,” said Fiorella.
Jess Foss, 19, from Gosport, confided that she had little energy to celebrate her Distinction in Music Technology because she had just returned from a week away with the Scouts.
Jess, who will be starting an apprenticeship with a lighting, sound, video and audio company, said: “I enjoyed the course so much, especially learning Logic Pro, and the support from the teachers.”
Deputy Principal Dr Nicola Kingsley said she was delighted to see the students’ success. “So many of our students have exceeded expectations and gained the highest grades possible,” she said.
“We are a truly inclusive college, and these results show how well our teachers deliver courses to all learners, enabling them all to thrive and progress to their chosen destinations.”
Mr Grant added: “Congratulations to all our students, all of us have seen the work they put in and that has paid off with these results. It’s always gratifying for us to see our students take the next step in their career journey and I wish them well with their careers, whether it be in employment, higher apprenticeships or university.”
He said the college is on hand to help any student who didn’t get the grades they were expecting. “We are very keen to support any student needing help with the University Clearing process and they must not hesitate to get in touch with us over the coming days and weeks if they need to,” he said.
St Vincent is still accepting applications for the new academic year.