Our Year 13 students celebrated receiving their A-Level results today, with many exceeding their expectations and receiving higher grades than they thought possible, with an increase in A* and A grades and a pass rate mirroring last year’s.
84% of students got into their first or second choice universities, with Warwick, Exeter, Birmingham and Southampton all confirmed destinations among this year’s cohort.
LVS Ascot, which was second in the table for student progress throughout A-Levels in 2018 among fourteen schools and colleges in Bracknell Forest, and ahead of schools including Wellington College, again saw a high level of progress among students.
This year’s A-Level results continued to show added value, particularly in biology, history, computing and PE where there was improvement of over a third of a grade per student based on their expected grades when they began A-Levels. We will release confirmed A-Level grade information after the remarking process has been completed and all statistical data has been compiled.
Head Boy Darshan Solanki received A* in biology and As in chemistry and maths and is now going to study veterinary medicine at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London.
Parnian Mohammadi, 17, will be joining him in the capital after taking her A-Levels a year early to gain a place studying law at Queen Mary University of London. Having been identified as being capable of early exam entry, the school helped her prepare to successfully earn As in English and French and a C in philosophy. She said: “The staff at LVS Ascot encouraged me and made me believe that I could step up and do my A-Levels early. They really helped me with my confidence and whilst it was tricky it meant everything fell into place.”
Sam Walkden was one of many students delighted that the progress he has made at LVS Ascot paid off with results beyond his expectations. After he won a place at the University of Birmingham to study philosophy, his father Roger Walkden said: “Sam joined LVS Ascot from a state school in Year 9 as he had no real aptitude for anything and was in the middle of the pack. We moved him so he could receive the attention he needed and he fitted in and knuckled down straight away. The school has helped him develop a real interest and amazing skill in philosophy so it has more than met expectations.”
Sam himself added: “Without this school I’d have never have even done philosophy and now that’s the reason I’m going to Birmingham.”
Many students at the school come from military backgrounds due to the school’s HM Forces discount, and Alex Richardson was one of those collecting his results today. His As in geography and physical education and B in biology will take him to the University of Exeter to study exercise and sport sciences. Today was the culmination of nine years of boarding at the school, following in the footsteps of his older brother and sister, with the school providing stability rather than constant change.
He said: “My dad is in the army and my brother and sister came here because of the really friendly boarding community and the forces discount. It meant I didn’t have to change schools when my dad was posted somewhere else which provided a stable environment for a long time and the chance to make some long lasting friendships.”
LVS Ascot Principal Christine Cunniffe said: “With this being the first year of truly linear A-Levels, making them harder as seen from the national figures, I am delighted that we have maintained our excellent pass rate and increased our top end grades. I am so pleased that the development of our Sixth Formers over the past two years has resulted in so many receiving fantastic news today. It is testimony to the hard work ethic of our students and teachers that we continue to be in the top two schools in the area for progress between the end of key stage 4 and A-Levels, and we will continue to aim to exceed expectations and inspire independence.”
See a full album of images from the day on our Facebook page.
