Brentwood School celebrates big increase in top grades at A level

Once again, A level students at Brentwood School are celebrating achieving an outstanding set of grades. Following on from the fantastic results achieved by this year’s cohort of International Baccalaureate students, their A Level counterparts have increased the number of top grades (A*-A) by an impressive 5% so that it now stands at 44%.

Of course, behind these headline figures lie many examples of individual success which have resulted in the realisation of long held aspirations.

Boarding student Ally Leung gained A*s in Biology, Chemistry and Economics and an A in Mathematics and she is looking forward to studying Medicine at King’s College, London. She is one of a number of students who are heading off to study Medicine or Veterinary Science, traditionally amongst the most competitive degree courses.

Peter Scott, who has made such a compelling commitment to so many aspects of the School’s extensive Performing Arts programme, still found the time to achieve A*s in Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics and an A in Chemistry and will be going to Emmanuel College (Cambridge University) to study Engineering. His good friend Jonathan Moore is one step closer to his dream of becoming a professional jazz musician; his A*s in Music and History and A in Latin exceeded his expectations and will see him studying Music at Manchester.

Netball captain Carolyn Whitworth received three A*s in Business Studies, Economics and Psychology and an A in History and she is heading to the University of Birmingham to study Business Management with a view to going into Human Resource Management. She said she hadn’t expected such good results and is planning on celebrating with family over dinner.

Sixteen-year-old Andrew Ejemai, who already has an A* in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, adds to his impressive haul with excellent results in Economics and Chemistry and top grades in the notoriously rigorous STEP papers set by Cambridge University. Andrew will be heading to Corpus Christi (Cambridge University) to study Mathematics a whole two years earlier than his contemporaries, but he’s undaunted at this prospect and said “I thank God and my teachers who have helped me. I started Maths at an early age and just wanted to keep doing it. The hard work has paid off.” Andrew says his long-term goal would be a career in finance or mathematical research.

In total five students are heading to Cambridge and one to Oxford. Saracens Rugby Under 18 player and Deputy Head of School, James Elms, will be studying Classics at Magdalene College (Cambridge) with his 3 A*s, and paid tribute to the Classics Department, who had gone above and beyond the call of duty and given him so much extra support. Keen musician Caolán McConnaughie will be studying Geography at Fitzwilliam College (Cambridge) whilst Debating Society Chairman & Deputy Head of School, Joshua Portway is heading to Christ Church (Oxford University) to study History. Josh said he was ‘happy and relieved’. “I worked hard over the two years. The teaching was fantastic and I could not have asked for any more help from the School.”

Just last month a number of Upper Sixth students received their International Baccalaureate results, including Kristina Tovstik from Russia, who is looking forward to studying Psychology at UCL. Her maximum 45 points puts her amongst an elite handful of other students around the world studying the IB Diploma and adds to the School’s impressive tally of high achievers. Shomik Milki is destined for Imperial College London with 41 points to study Aeronautical Engineering, and Jiaqing Low will be studying Law at Churchill College (Cambridge University) with her 43 points.

In total over three quarters of students applying got their first choice university, and 70% of students have places at Russell Group/Top 20 universities.

Academic Deputy Head Jeremy Quartermain commented: “All of our talented students should be very proud of these terrific results. I’m particularly pleased that our A*-A grade average has increased so significantly. To be able to say that almost half of all A level (or IB equivalent) grades achieved by our students resulted in an A* or A grade is a fantastic achievement, and testament not only to their hard work but also to the tireless commitment put in by our wonderful teachers.”

Zipporah and Andrew Ejemai

James Elms

Peter Scott and Caolán McConnaughie