Hackney students received their A Level results on Thursday (August 18), with lower grades given overall as Covid-induced grade inflation was reined in.
Exams were held for the first time in two years with a number of adaptations, including advance notice of some topics, to mitigate lost learning during the pandemic.
BTEC results were also announced.
Central Foundation Boys' School
Central Foundation Boys’ School has announced staff are "delighted" with what students achieved at A Level this year.
A third of all grades at the school which girls can attend at sixth form were at A*/A, two thirds were at A* to B, and over 90 per cent of grades were at C or better.
Some 60pc of A Level pupils gained at least one grade A.
Jamie Brownhill, headteacher at the school in Cowper Street, off Old Street, said: “All of our students leave us with great credit, which does well beyond the grades and destinations they have achieved.
"This has been a very special year group.
"Their warmth, humility and diligence has marked them out from the beginning of their journey with us.
"They have been great role models to the remainder of the school and have set the bar high for years to follow.”
Haggerston School
Pupils at Haggerston School are enjoying a successful A Level results day with students receiving top marks.
The school in Weymouth Terrace has seen 82 per cent of pupils receive A*-C grades, with the vast majority securing their first-choice university places.
Year 13 students gathered in the sixth form area where they received an envelope with their A Level results.
Among the top achievers was Nina Kankska who achieved an A* in maths, A in further mathematics, A* in physics and an A in computer science.
The 17-year-old has secured her first-place university choice at the University of Manchester where she will study physics.
“I believe I’m pretty well motivated but sometimes it can be a bit hard and the teachers were great at making sure I stay motivated," she said.
“I just loved all my teachers. I think I got really lucky with them, I guess.
“They also helped with exam prep and the resources they gave us were just unbelievable. They helped us and really ensured we did our absolute best.”
Another of the school’s highest achievers, Jake Woonton, secured an A* in drama, A in history and B in maths.
The 18-year-old, who was overjoyed with his results, has secured his first-choice university place at Goldsmiths University where he will study his favourite subject, drama theatre studies.
He said: “The school pushed me in the direction of acting, and the drama department has heavily influenced who I am.
“Haggerston offered a lot of opportunities such as I performed in the National Theatre with the school and done a lot of productions and I love the drama department and all the teachers.”
Headteacher Ciara Emmerson said her pupils had worked hard and shown "incredible resilience in the face of a very challenging few years".
“We are so pleased that students have been awarded the results they deserve and will progress onto degree courses at prestigious universities, including Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol," she said.
“Our sixth form has been on a strong trajectory of improvement over the last four years and we are so proud that 54% of awarded qualifications were the top A*-B grades, with a 100% pass rate overall.
“We are delighted for all our students and wish them every success in the next stage of their education.”
The City Academy, Hackney
The City Academy, Hackney students have achieved the school's best ever public examined results to date, with 60pc of students awarded A* to B grades - contradicting predictions that students would be left disappointed due to crackdown on grade inflation following teacher-assessed grades.
Some 35pc of pupils at the school in Homerton Row achieved grades A/A*, 34pc achieved A* or B grade in all of their subjects, and 10pc of students achieved A* to A grade in every single one of their subjects.
Students are going on to an inspiring range of degrees and degree level apprenticeships, including Faduma Hussein and Hashim Ahmed who are the school's first students to study medicine, and Nora Al Morhiby who is the first to study dentistry.
Faduma Hussein achieved AAA in Biology, Chemistry and Economics and has accepted a place to study medicine at Imperial College.
She is the first in her family to go to university.
Before the pandemic, Faduma had never contemplated a career in medicine, until Covid-19 struck when she was aged 15.
Faduma said: “I had never thought about becoming a doctor until the pandemic started, but I was inspired by the NHS workers and their sacrifice.
"It was then I looked online for any free courses on healthcare. No one in my family is a doctor, so I had to look online for information.”
Principal Mark Malcolm said he was proud of the way the school's students have performed at A Level.
"Having missed the opportunity to sit their GCSEs in 2020 we know that their anxiety and anticipation in facing this set of exams was greater than ever before," he said.
"Seeing so many of our students fulfil their potential, in spite of what the last few years has thrown at them, is wonderful.”
The Urswick School
The school community at The Urswick School Sixth Form Academy, Hackney, was in a triumphant mood this morning as students collected their A Level results.
Richard Brown, executive headteacher said ‘It is great to see a return to actual examinations and our students rose to the challenge.
"They deserve their successes and to progress to universities of their choice. This year group were unable to sit GCSEs due to Covid and so I am sure the sense of achievement is all the greater."
He added: "Most of them have been at Urswick since the age of 11 and leave us as excellent ambassadors for their families, their school and our community. We couldn’t be more delighted for them.”
Victoria Szent-Kirallyi, 18, achieved three A* in politics, psychology and sociology is going on to study law at Warwick University.
She said: “This has been a very challenging couple of years and I’m really grateful for all of the support from our teachers. We all did our best despite the challenges we faced. “
Abdul Ghafor Rahmatzada, 18, who achieved B in computer science, B in economics and a B in maths, is going on to study computer science studies at Queen Mary’s University.
He said: “I have really enjoyed my time at the Urswick School and I would like to thank all of my teachers for their help in getting me to where I am now.“
Olamidun Ojewole, 18, who achieved 3 B’s in biology, psychology and sociology, said: “I’d like to say thank you to all my teachers for helping me to achieve my amazing grades, I have loved being at The Urswick School.”
Quang Vinh Ho, 18, achieved B in art, B in ethics and C in politics, and is going on to Goldsmiths to study social care.
Louis Ward, 18, expressed gratitude to his teachers for their support throughout sixth form, and is going to study international relations and Japanese at Norwich University.
He achieved an A in ethics, B in history and B in economics.
Jacquie Burke, group director for children and education at Hackney Education visited the school for the occasion.
She said: “It is a total privilege to be here at The Urswick School today to see the young people open their results and see them go on to the next stage of their life.
"Congratulations to every young person but also congratulations to the staff here at Urswick. This has been a real treat.”
Cardinal Pole Sixth Form
Students at Cardinal Pole Sixth Form in Homerton have received an excellent set of results, with many securing places at top Higher Education institutions.
For the sixth consecutive year, Cardinal Pole is among the top post-16 providers nationally for progress.
100 per cent of sixth formers achieved A* to B grade in Art, 75pc achieved A* to B in English literature, and 66pc achieved A* to B in further maths. 63pc achieved A* to B in sociology and history.
Head Boy Jelani said: "I am so happy to see all of my friends achieving amazing things and I hope to see them and their many successes in the future."
Jelani will be studying artificial intelligence and computer science at the University of Birmingham.
Students studying vocational courses also achieved excellent results, with 80pc of students receiving distinction or above. 50pc secured a triple distinction.
These results have made it possible for students to accept places at a range of Russell Group universities, including LSE, the University of Warwick, and Kings College.
Michael Wagidoso will be attending Cambridge to study English Literature, while Ludwick Wach will attend UCL to study maths and physics.
Adam Hall, headteacher designate, said: "Our Sixth Form has secured another fantastic set of Post-16 results. Such incredible results show the fruits of our Sixth-Formers' labours.
"They have shown an immense amount of commitment and perseverance to their studies, and should be extremely proud of themselves.
"Most of them have been on a seven-year journey with us and we are proud to have seen them develop into bright, ambitious and upstanding young adults."
Head of Year 13 Natasha William said: "I am so proud of our Year 13s for achieving such great results and going off to the universities, Apprenticeships and Internships of their choice. They have been an absolute asset to our school community and such a delight to teach. I am confident that they will achieve amazing things on their respective journeys."
Mossbourne Community Academy
Sixth Form students at Mossbourne Community Academy in Lower Clapton celebrated their best set of results ever this year. The majority of students have been accepted into their first choice universities.
57pc of grades were A* to A, 84pc were A* to B, and 94pc were A* to C.
Samuel Che Williams, 18, achieved BBC in drama, classics, and religious studies. Before receiving his grades, Samuel had not applied to go to university.
Today, he accepted a place to study Aviation Operations with commercial flight training at Kingston University, making him Mossbourne Community Academy's first pilot in training.
One of the Academy's head pupils, Amiwata Sesay, 18, received A*AA in history, economics, and sociology. She will be studying law and anthropology at the London School of Economics next year.
She described the process of in-person exams this year as nerve-wracking.
"It was very scary. It didn't feel real," she said: "Applying through UCAS was scary. We didn't know if we'd have good enough predicted grades or if we'd even make our offer grades. Having received her results, she is "surprised, happy, and relieved."
Mohammed Uddin, 18, achieved A*s in maths, further maths, physics, and chemistry. He has achieved the grades he needed to make his offer for chemical engineering at Imperial. But, today, with his results, he is considering reapplying to do natural sciences at Cambridge.
He said: "I'm just proud basically. All the work you put in for two years, and for it to pay off, it just feels amazing."
Rebecca Warren, the principal of Mossbourne Community Academy, said: "Despite my confidence in the children of Mossbourne Sixth Form, I had to double check when I saw the results. We've completely turned what I understand to be the national picture on its head in that we have surpassed and exceeded 2019 results. We've got the best set of A Level results that we've ever had.
"I don't think I've seen such jubilation upon children coming out of exam halls and I've been teaching for 27 years. There was a sense of purpose and positivity once we had ultimate confirmation exams were going ahead. The children wanted exams. They feel as if they've truly earned what they worked for."
Clapton Girls' Academy
At Clapton Girls' Academy, in Lower Clapton, 51pc of grades achieved were A* to A and 78pc were A* to B. The academy reports a 20pc per cent increase in grades A* to B since 2019, pre-Covid. The students also received excellent grades in BTEC exams, with 80pc achieving a Distinction, and 97pc achieving a merit or above.
Ayman Panchbhaya got four A*s, one of the top sets of results in her year group. She is now heading to Queen Mary to study law. Ayman said: "I'm very surprised and very excited with my results. I'm so grateful to my teachers and everyone who has helped me. I'm excited for my future."
Achieving triple Distinction scores in BTEC (equivalent to 3 A grades at A Level) are Rumeysa Cerrah, Nadia Hashim, Nilay Yozgyur, Chelsea Moccia, and Samiya Omar.
They will be going on to study a range of courses at university, including Adult nursing, criminology and psychology, and human resource management.
Another student, Daisy O'Connell received three A*s and will be studying Geography at Oxford next year. Daisy said: "I'm a bit shocked but very happy with my results. I came to CGA's Sixth Form from another school and everyone was always so reassuring and made me feel so supported and valued."
Umera Shakirahmed achieved three A*s and will be heading to London Southbank to study diagnostic radiography.
Anna Feltham, headteacher at Clapton Girls' Academy, said: "We are delighted with this year's results which are testament to the outstanding work ethic and resilience of our Year 13 students.
"Having missed exam experience in Year 11, they have been so impressive in rising to the challenge of public exams. Their success is also due to the hard work and commitment of our dedicated teaching and support staff and the support of parents, families and the wider school community."
Victoria Reed, director of Sixth Form, echoed the sentiment: "Despite the many Covid setbacks they have encountered along the way their determination and resilience has got them their fabulous results!
"We look forward to seeing what exciting things their futures hold."
Our Lady's Catholic High School
The students at OLCHS, situated in Stamford Hill, delivered standout A Level results this year.
The art and design department achieved 100pc of results at A* to A grades. In Spanish, 60pc of grades awarded were also A* to A. And in both geography and 3D printing, 100pc of candidates achieved a grade of A* to B.
One student, Mikaela Okwan, achieved three As and will be studying politics, philosophy, and economics at Manchester University next year.
She said: "This is one of the happiest days of my life. I have worked hard for these results, and students in this year group have had to work so hard and in such different ways due to the pandemic. But we have come through and achieved so well."
Maria Cletus spoke of her immense pride at receiving an A* in psychology. She is excited to go on to study law at Kent University.
Maria said: "It's so great for me to have the opportunity to go and study a subject where I think I can make a contribution to society."
Gracieth Vemba and Fiona Gordon will both study architecture next year. They said: "Our art and design teachers have inspired us to look at the world in a different way, which hopefully we can take inspiration from as we start our new courses at university."
Malak Allam achieved distinctions in her BTEC examinations and is now off to Durham University to study primary education, explaining: "I have been inspired by my teachers to follow in their footsteps and work with children. It's going to be hard, but rewarding!"
Andy English, headteacher at the Stamford Hill-based High School, said: "The post-16 results this year have provided our young people with the platform on which to build a bright future and is a reflection of their commitment and resilience, especially over the past two years."
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