The headmaster of Barnard Castle School has spoken of his pride in students receiving their A Level results, especially when considering the wider context in which they have completed their courses.
For the first time since the 2018/19 academic year, students were able to sit external examinations and assessments, following disruptions brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic. For the last two years, students received results based on Centre-Assessed Grades and Teacher-Assessed Grades.
Eighty-one per cent of Barney students achieved A*-C grades, a rise of eight percent from the uninterrupted 2019 examination series, with 28 per cent of pupils receiving A*-A.
Among the school’s outstanding performers were:
- Bleddyn Davies, who secured four A*s and a distinction in advanced mathematics, as well as an A* in his mathematics A Level last year, and will read pure mathematics at the University of St Andrews;
- Emma Kitson, who achieved two A*s and an A and is preparing for a gap year working in Australia before reading English and philosophy at the University of Sheffield next year;
- Amelia Murray, who will study criminology at the University of Bristol after securing an A* and two A grades;
- Oliver Guy, who achieved three As and a B and will read electronic engineering at the University of Manchester;
- Muhammad Isma’il Hameed-Sharif, who gained three As and an A* in his EPQ, and is considering a gap year ahead of studying economics at Durham University.
Tony Jackson, Headmaster of Barnard Castle School, said: “I am incredibly proud of our students who showed exceptional resilience when sitting formal examinations and assessments for the first time in their lives this year.
“Each and every student has shown great character and perseverance throughout their Barney journeys, embracing and engaging in school life regardless of the challenges faced during a period where not only their A Levels were interrupted, but their GCSE courses too.
“Their academic achievements, combined with the values and soft skills that Barnardians learn both within and beyond the classroom, will stand them in good stead as they embark upon the next chapter of their lives.
“I would like to wish each and every member of our outgoing Upper Sixth all the very best for the future.”