Sixth Formers in Shepherd's Bush Achieve Exceptional Results
Good exam grades achieved despite trying circumstances
Left to right - Anne Stephenson, head of sixth form at Ark Burlington Danes Academy with A* student Mohammed Walid and Cllr Alex Sanderson
There have been some strong performances by sixth formers in the Shepherd’s Bush area despite this year group having to cope with an exceptional set of circumstances.
The newly published A Level and Level 3 Vocational results are first set of public examination results post the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the year group that was unable to sit GCSEs in 2020.
Principal David Carr is ‘sure the students will go on to make the world a better place’ following the impressive exam results this year at Ark Burlington Danes Academy in Wood Lane.
Some of the standout pupils included Mohammed Walid who is planning to study Medicine at the Queen Mary University of London after achieving an A* and two A grades in Biology, Chemistry, and French.
Mohamed also received the Reuben Foundation bursary, worth £22,500, which means he will be able to focus solely on his studies and not need a part-time job to help with the bills.
He also thanked his teachers for all their help and support during his time at the academy.
“They’ve helped us out so much despite challenging circumstances. We’ve been provided with lots of work experience and given loads of help with our personal statements. I’m proud of the work I put in and this shows that hard work pays off,” he added.
Fellow pupil Salma Gallul is proud to have achieved three A* grades in Biology, Chemistry and Religious Education, and is going on to study Biomedical Sciences at St George’s, University of London.
After achieving three A grades in Maths, Chemistry and English, Husen Ahmed is heading to King’s College London to study Computer Science.
Saffron Jackson is going on to study Primary Education at St Mary’s University in Twickenham after getting the grades she needed in Religious Studies, Psychology and Sociology.
“My teachers have really helped me and motivated me. Whenever I was struggling they encouraged me to keep going,” said Saffron.
Principal Carr was full of praise for all his students. “It's an important day for our Year 13 students. We are so proud of their excellent results and fantastic destinations, and must congratulate them for their hard work and grit throughout the last few years,” he said.
Meanwhile at Hammersmith Academy Sixth Form, students Matthew Sanetra and Mai Kheir secured places at Oxford University.
“I am ecstatic at achieving my offer - it feels surreal. Everyone in my family is extremely proud. I found it a very challenging year but I believe I am now much better prepared for whatever the future brings. I am extremely excited to start university,” said Matthew.
Hamza Huda was the Academy’s top achiever, securing three A*s and one A, and a place at Queen Mary University to study Computer Science.
William Morris Sixth Form’s students managed to overcome the challenges presented to them.
Jakub Kaflowski also earned impressive marks with an A* in Physics, an A in Maths and a B in Chemistry. He went on to win the Gold Certificate for the Sixth Form’s Maths Challenge helping him to secure a spot at the University of Bristol to study Civil Engineering.
Louis Vowden achieved two A grades and an A* in English Language & Literature, Media Studies, and French. He is now planning a gap year and is thankful to all his teachers.
“They were extremely supportive and helpful and showed genuine care, especially in providing help to students,” Louis added.
Jakub Kaflowski also received impressive marks with an A* in Physics, an A in Maths and a B in Chemistry. He went on to win the Gold Certificate for the Sixth Form’s Maths Challenge helping him to secure a spot at the University of Bristol to study Civil Engineering.
Kesha Crosbie is another success story with two D* grades for her BTEC in Health & Social Care, and an A in Criminology. She is planning to go on to study Mental Health Nursing at King’s College, London.
“The independence that William Morris gives its students is really appreciated and if you’re starting your A-Levels this year make sure to stay on top of your work and focus on achieving the grades you want,” Kesha added.
William Morris Sixth Form said, “Many of our students have achieved successes and it’s been a great year for exam results. Congratulations from all our staff to our excellent students. We couldn’t be prouder.”
William Morris sixth formers with their exam results
West London Free School Sixth Form students have also achieved their best ever set of results with one in four gaining straight As and A*s and six winning places at Oxford and Cambridge. 75% of applicants have achieved grades to attend their first-choice destination, and 100% of bursary students from a disadvantaged background have got into their first or second choice institution. These include King’s College London, University of Nottingham and Durham University.
At Latymer Upper School, 46% of A Level grades were at A* with 82% grades A*/A. This enabled 88% of students to secure their first choice of university with 19 securing Oxbridge places and the same number going on to study medicine. There was also a record breaking 82 offers from 48 International Universities in 8 different countries - including Brown, Bocconi, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, ETH Zurich, Georgetown, McGill, MIT, NYU, UCLA, UPenn and Yale.
Latymer Upper students react to their results
School Captain, Simdi was amongst the 41 students who scored all A* grades. Simdi will now take up a place at MIT. 49 students achieved at least 3 A*s and 10 students, like Alexia, achieved 4A*s. Alexia has been awarded a scholarship to study engineering at the University of Toronto.
A number of pupils who joined Latymer Upper School two years ago in the Sixth Form did exceptionally well. Matilda achieved an unprecedented and almost unachievable, A*, D1 and D1 (D1 is equivalent to higher than an A* in Pre-U) and will now go on to Edinburgh to study Philosophy and Politics; Tanita, who also joined for Sixth Form, will go to Oxford to study English Language and Literature, and bursary student, Filipina, becomes the first Latymerian to take an apprenticeship degree at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.
The 19 students going to Oxford and Cambridge include bursary student, Marko who will study Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic; musician, Luke, who will study medicine at Oxford; keen rower and member of the 1st VIII, Enrico will study medicine at Cambridge; Thomas taking PPE at Oxford; Martha taking Geography at Oxford; Madelaine who will study English at Cambridge, Jessica Coe taking Theology, Religion & Philosophy at Cambridge and Thomas who will study Physics at Oxford. Thomas and his twin Bob, achieved an incredible total of 6 A*s and 2As in Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths, and History. Bob will go to Manchester to study Maths.
19 students, like bursary holder, Sophia, who will now go on to study medicine, including Abdirahman who will go to Imperial and Paris at Kings.
Clara is going to Brown to study Art and Rosa is doing Foundation at City and Guilds School of Art; Tallulah will go on to study Film at the University of Westminster; Kitty will take up a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music and Stanley will attend the Royal Northern College of Music to study guitar. School Vice-Captains, Nina starts at UPenn in September and Santiago has been awarded one of the most highly selective merit scholarships in the USA, the Jefferson Scholarship.
Head, David Goodhew, said, “I speak for everyone at Latymer when I say how proud we are of these stellar results. Our Class of 2022 have been outstanding and their achievements are phenomenal. They have shown great resilience and worked incredibly hard throughout a very tumultuous period. My thanks to all of our staff who go above and beyond to support them and prepare them in their subjects.”
“These are our best ever exam results in ‘normal times’,” he continued “and I am particularly proud to see how our bursary programme continues to have a life-changing impact, with so many of our bursary students going on to study some of the world’s best universities.”
Students at Hammersmith and Fulham College, part of West London College, also managed some outstanding results. Among the impressive pupils was part-time carer Chloe Fowle who achieved three Ds on her Level 3 BTEC Health and Social Care diploma.
“I took the course because I was working part time as a carer and wanted to expand my knowledge. In my work placement with the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, I worked with children awaiting surgery and got so much out of helping them,” said Chloe.
Hannaniya Dereje also achieved a triple distinction (DDD) in her Health and Social Care BTEC extended diploma.
“I took the course because I was thinking about becoming a nurse,” said Hannaniya.
“My college helped me by giving me a two-week work placement with Imprerial College Healthcare NHS Trust where I met NHS osteopaths who have inspired me to become a chiropractor. I know this is what I really want to do with my career, and I start my degree at London Southbank University in September.”
Camille Derakshan also studied the Business Extended Diploma Level 3, achieved a triple distinction as well.
“The best part about the course for me was that it was very creative. I was encouraged to give my own opinions and we worked collaboratively on a range of really interesting projects. I’m going on to Nottingham Trent University to study Business Management and Marketing and after graduation I want to work in business research and advertising,” said Camille.
Pupils at Fulham Cross Sixth Form in Kingwood Road did particularly well and among the notable high achievers were Hamza Elhaj, Aleksander Vila and Isse Isse.
Hamza achieved an A in Psychology, a B in Biology and a B in Chemistry. He will attend Kingston University to study Psychology and Sociology.
“Despite a setback in my first year, the academic support from my teachers helped me reach my goals. I am grateful for all my teachers. They always provided me with support and I couldn't have done this if it wasn't for their efforts. They’ve created a comfortable environment where students can always request support,” said Hamza.
Aleksander received a D and two D* grades in BTEC Level 3 Sport and will attend St Mary’s to study Sports Coaching Science.
“In my two years at Fulham Cross Sixth Form, I was helped a lot by staff. I received all the help that I needed to work hard and complete my coursework, and they motivated me when I wasn't working at the level I needed to,” added Aleksander.
Isse achieved a D* and two D grades in BTEC Level 3 Sport and C in A level Psychology, and is going to St George’s to study Physiotherapy.
Michael McDermott, Assistant Head Teacher, and Sixth Form lead at Fulham Cross was extremely happy with the results. He said, “The disruption and uncertainty of the past two years have been extremely challenging for our Sixth Form community. We are proud of the commitment and hard work from both students and staff that has ensured their progress and achievements are the best they can be,” said the Assistant Head Teacher.
“The school has undergone significant changes in courses and organisation, and the students have been great in adapting to these challenges. We look forward to a broader curriculum offer for the coming year and A level success as these qualifications become embedded.”
Fulham Cross Sixth Form staff and students after receiving their grades
There were all smiles at Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green after pupils achieved an impressive 94 per cent of grades between A* and C.
Thirty-three pupils got at least three A or A* grades, with the Year 13 pupils achieving 11 A*s in English Literature, eight in Chemistry and seven in Physics.
“We are incredibly proud of our students. This is a really excellent set of results and it is wonderful to be able to celebrate their achievements today,” said Headteacher, Elisabeth Stevenson.
“These results mean that our students will be moving on to a wide range of university courses and we wish them every success.”
The pupils will be starting a variety of degrees from universities across the country including Classics and French at the University of Oxford, Chemistry with Molecular Physics at Imperial College London, Architecture at the University of Cambridge and Philosophy at the University of Durham.
“Hammersmith & Fulham students have done themselves proud with another impressive set of exam results. Congratulations to them - especially after the years of disruption during the pandemic,” said Cabinet Member for Children and Education, Cllr Alex Sanderson.
“For those who did not get the grades they had hoped for, there are so many education and career opportunities ahead. Exam results do not and will not define you.
“Thanks so much to all our local teachers, school staff and parents for all their hard work supporting our young people. I know you always give them the best possible opportunity to succeed and fulfil their potential.”
Overall top grades for A-level results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have fallen since last year – with 36.4% of all grades marked at A* or A. This is still higher than 2019 – the last time results were based on students taking exams.
In 2020 and 2021 grades were higher but these were passed on teacher assessment.
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