Headmaster's pride as Churcher's College students celebrate outstanding A level results

Simon Williams, Headmaster of Churcher's College, pays tribute to students who exceeded expectations at A level...

After the quite exceptional levels of success last year we had expected this year to be a little more modest but we are absolutely delighted to note how this year’s group of students have exceeded expectations.

Durham University and their Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring use various baseline tests to give us a prediction of the A level outcome for the students and, from that, as a year group as a whole. The Sixth Formers here at Churcher’s have exceeded those expectations of them; our value-added score last year was outstanding; it is likely to be similar again this year.

For the majority of our students, university is the next destination and it is the top, most competitive courses and universities they aspire to. The confirmation of places is still coming in, but with 18% of the A levels graded A* and over 45% A* and A grade, the level of A level success here means that they invariably achieve their aspirations. To be awarded an A* grade candidates must achieve a cumulative score of 90% or more, and with fifteen, of the year group of just over 100, achieve straight A* and A grades there have been many quite outstanding performances but it is not just the academically highly capable who have exceeded expectations.

With all the changes that have been taking place with A levels, linking one year with another becomes like comparing apples and pears. There has always been a natural variation in ability between year groups but this is being exacerbated by exam structure changes such as no re-take opportunities and the loss of modular exams. What doesn’t change, however, is the Churcher’s students’ determination to give and get the best, inside and outside the classroom.

Those of us who were lucky enough to witness the Churcher’s orchestra tour’s hugely successful concerts on their tour in Barcelona this summer heard applause aplenty; and there is another, well-deserved, standing ovation for these A level exam results.

A levels	Total Exams	Provisional Cumulative Percentage
		A*	A*-A	A-B	A-C	A-D	A-E
2014	313	10.7	46.6	76.2	92.8	98.7	99.7
2015	293	14.2	52.9	80.4	93.5	97.3	99.3
2016	350	20.7	58.1	83.3	96.4	98.1	99.7
2017	345	18.3	45.4	77.1	92.2	98.3	100.0