A-level results – east Suffolk

Overall, the pass rate rose for the 28th year in a row – with more than one in four entries (27per cent) gaining at least an A grade.

But despite it being another bumper year, results say for some students will only serve to spark a desperate scramble for university places.

At Kesgrave High School, head master Neil Burgoyne revealed the school was celebrating their best ever A-level results with 36 A* grades and more than half of students securing A*, A and B grades.

Of the 164 students sitting the exams this summer 78 per cent achieved A* to C grades.

He said: “Our students can be very proud of their achievements.

“We are confident they have acquired the independent learning and critical thinking skills to enable them to flourish at university and employment.”

And at Northgate High School in Ipswich students were jumping for joy as they celebrated an A* to C pass rate of 80% and a record number of A grades.

Head master David Hutton today paid tribute to the hard work of students and staff.

He said: “I am delighted because the percentage of Northgate entries being awarded A grades is over 30 per cent, which is a new record, with a third of these being the new A* standard.

“This is particularly pleasing in a year when there is so much pressure on places at top universities as more Northgate students needing these top grades will have been able to secure their places.”

At Copleston High School in Ipswich head teacher Shaun Common said the students have achieved the school’s best results in four years with an A* to C pass rate of 73%.

He said: “For another year running we have achieved an increase in our overall A*-C percentage pass rate giving us the best results over the last four years.

“We have a significant increase in the number of students achieving good grades, including five students each with four grade A’s or above.

“Our congratulations to all students, and their families and staff for all their hard work.”

In Southwold, 90 students at St Felix School achieved all A* to C grades, representing 72% of their year.

Head teacher David Wood said: “Many of our students have performed better than their predicted grades, producing high value-added scores.

“A year that has seen over-subscription for places for many university courses has put added pressure on our students.

“We are delighted for all our students who have been accepted on their courses this year.”

Meanwhile, Leiston High School assistant headteacher Anne Marie Oaten was “thrilled” with her pupils’ results, with 53% getting A*-C and 97% in the A*-E bracket.

She said: “All the students that applied to university have been offered a place which is exceptional given the current situation.

“Other students have chosen employment and some are already settled in their new jobs.”

Felixstowe Sixth Form, comprising A-level students from Orwell and Deben High Schools, achieved their best results so far, with a 94% pass rate and more than 60% of pupils getting A* to C.

Most students also got the results they needed for university places, which came as a relief to head teacher Rob Cawley.

He said: “To say I am delighted about the results would be an understatement.

“Students and staff from across the Felixstowe Sixth Form should be incredibly proud of the fact they have achieved another set of fantastic results in the gold standard of examinations this year.”

Following the trend from schools across Ipswich Westbourne Sports College are today celebrating their best results in the last four years.

With three students achieving the new A* grade outstanding results came in Business Studies and Media Studies.

Headteacher Chris Edwards said: “This is another good year for results at A level and it is down to the hard work and dedication of students and staff.”

Woodbridge School pupils were basking in the best results in its history, with one in seven entries gaining an A* grade.

The pass rate for A*-C was an impressive 90.1%.

Headteacher Stephen Cole said: “This has been an outstanding year for Woodbridge. Coming on the back of an exceptional inspection report, the record number of A and A*s, in rump steak rather than beefburger subjects, reinforces the high academic reputation of the school.”

At Ipswich School, in Henley Road, 48 of the 114 students gained at least one A*, of whom eleven achieved three or more of the 90% grade.

Top of the class was Karen Lui, who was awarded four A*s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and an A in Chinese.

Another notable performance came from Zak Snowling, this year’s Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet, who is heading for Homerton College, Cambridge, to read Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Zak was one of seven pupils studying Russian.

Headteacher Nicholas Weaver, who took over the reigns this month, said: “I couldn’t have wished for a better start to my headship.

“What has always excited me about Ipswich School is that academic success is achieved alongside such a rich mix of extra-curricular interests.

“I am thrilled for the students who have worked so hard to achieve these superb results as well as the immense contribution that they have made to the life of the school and the community.”

Twenty-two candidates achieved the equivalent of 3 straight A grades or better at The Royal Hospital School.

Lizzie Greene (three A*), Laura Compton (two A*, two A), Bill Cousins (two A*, two A) and Tim Mac (two A*, one A) were among the best. The overall A*-B rate for the 93 A-level candidates at The Royal Hospital School was 67%.

Headmaster Howard Blackett said he welcomed the new A* grade. He added: “Although it has received a somewhat mixed press, there is no doubt that its introduction has enabled our most able candidates to demonstrate their exceptional level of ability.

“I suspect that the A* grade is here to stay and it will become the essential discriminator between the able and the very able”.

Of the competition for university places, Mr Blackett added: “With such an outstanding set of results, there shouldn’t be too much heartache!”

Meanwhile, Ipswich High School for Girls announced its best results in its 137-year history, with 98% of pupils gaining A*-C grades. Nearly 40pc of its 31 candidates took home straight-As.

Among the star performers was Georgia Biltcliffe was gained three A* in English Literature, Geography and Spanish.

Georgia is going on to read Modern Languages at University College London.

“I’m really shocked and very excited about starting the next part of my life,” she said. “When I say I’ve got three A stars no one seems to believe me!”

Headteacher Elaine Purves added: “We are thrilled that our results have gone from strength to strength. Our A* to B pass rate has topped 88% and our overall pass rate (A*-E Grade) remains at 100% – a remarkable achievement.”

And Framlingham College has said they are pleased to announced another excellent year of results with the majority of students securing their places at university.

Star performer Henry Tang achieved an impressive six A-levels and 86pc of students gained A* to C grades with 14% gaining three or more A grades.

And headteacher Paul Taylor said he was “delighted” to see so many happy faces on results morning.

“We are very proud of these boys and girls and how hard they have worked for their A levels, and it is good to see the combined efforts of students, teachers and parents being rewarded,” he said.

The 82 students at Hartismere High School, in Eye, managed to reach an overall 98% A* to E grade pass rate and Sixth Form director of college Louise Clifford said it was an excellent set of results.

She said: “It was a real team effort. It’s really nice to have the ned of the academic year supported by these excellent results. Congratulations, particularly to those who achieved three A* grades or more.”

At Claydon High School, which has a joint Sixth Form department with Thurleston High School, 98% of pupils have collected A* to E passes.

Headteacher Sarah Skinner said the vast majority of pupils had managed to secure their places at their first choice universities.

She said: “We are fantastically proud of them and delighted that they are going to go ahead and fulfill their dreams.”

For the second year running, Diss High School pupils managed a 100% pass rate at A level.

Headteacher Dr Jan Hunt said: “Some 100 Year 13 students completed A level courses and through determined hard work and with the dedicated support of their teachers have achieved excellent results.”

Students at Chantry Sixth Form Centre in Ipswich achieved an A*-E pass rate of 92%.

Deputy headteacher, Jamie Daniels, said: “This reflects the hard work and dedication from the students over the past two years.

“There are some outstanding individual results, including students gaining A star grades.

“As many of our students move on to university places the school wishes to congratulate all on their great achievements.”

At Kirkley High School, in Lowestoft, this year’s results showed further improvement, with a 95.1% pass rate at A*-E and 63.4% at A*-E.

Headteacher Richard Pickard said it marked a three-year rise in performance. “The biggest area of improvement was in the percentage of A* to C grades, which indicates that there were a greater proportion of students attaining higher grade passes.

“Obviously we need to recognise that the A level results are a consortium effort, and my thanks are extended to our consortium partners.”

In Woodbridge, Farlingaye High School achieved an “outstanding” average point score of 978 for each student - equivalent to three A* grades.

The school had an 80.6% pass rate for A*-C and 99.5% for A*-E.

Top of the tree were Josie Hughes (4A* and an A) and Matt Jacobs (4A*).

Headteacher Sue Hargadon said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have had another year of outstanding results, making this one of our best set of results.

“This is a real tribute to the hard work by a super group of students and the support they were given by their staff and parents.

“Six students have places at Cambridge and Oxford, and five have places to read medicine or veterinary science.”

Youngsters at Ipswich’s St Albans Catholic High School delivered a “stunning” set of results, according to headteacher Dennis McGarry.

He said: “Based on our initial analysis we have a pass rate of 98% with 74% of the grades being A* - C which is a credit to our students and all their efforts.

“Particular praise for Ellie Scogings who, despite having glandular fever, managed to achieve three A*s and one A.”

More than a third of all pupils at Suffolk New College managed to score either an A*, A or B grade and principal Dave Muller said it was a “tremendous” achievement.

Mr Muller said: “Once again we have had a successful year with our A-level results. It is tremendous to see what our students have achieved from their studies and along with the excellent support from their tutors their hard work across the year has really paid off.”

All students taking A levels at Stowupland High School achieved pass grades at A*-E with 75% achieving grades A*-C.

Headteacher Karen Grimes said: “The A-Level examinations have been demanding – with new specifications in many subjects and students have worked extremely hard to secure very creditable results.

“Over 80% of Year 13 students from Stowupland are progressing onto higher education and embarking on some interesting and prestigious courses. Celebrations are well-deserved”

Meanwhile, Denes High School in Lowestoft achieved 97% of grades from A*-E, of which 57% made A*-C grades.

Headteacher Mick Lincoln said: “We are very pleased. It is early days yet to say who has got their university place. A lot of hard work went into it, congratulations to the students and staff.”

Also in Lowestoft, Benjamin Britten High School recorded positive results, with 52% of pupils landing A*-C grades and 95% getting A*-Es.

Headteacher David Park said: “I am delighted for all our pupils who have studied hard over the past couple of years.

“Most of our students have achieved what they needed to go on to university and it has been great to share in their excitement today as they look forward to the next step in their education.”

At the Sir John Leman High School, in Beccles, 68% gained A*-C and 96% achieved A*-E

Headteacher Jeremy Rowe said: “I’m thrilled. The figures speak for themselves. It’s a huge step up for us.”

At Bungay High School, headteacher Sean O’Neill said he was “pleased” with the results, which saw 94% gaining A*-C grades.

He said: “They are a testament to the hard work and dedication of students, staff and parents. This year the points per candidate are the highest ever achieved at the school.

“We are working very closely with students to ensure that those who are planning to go to university get the choices they want as the competition for places this year is fierce.”