A-Level Results Day 2017: Highgate School headteacher proud after students break top grades record
Highagte School headteacher Adam Pettitt stands next to Sasha Posner, Carolina Valensise and Marjolaine Briscoe after the 18-year-olds collected their A-Level results earlier today. Pupils at the independent day school broke the school record for the number of A* grades awarded. Picture: Jon King - Credit: Archant
Highgate School students are thrilled and relieved after scooping a record-breaking set of A-level results.
Mr Pettitt said: I am just so pleased our pupils rose to the challenge of tougher exams." Picture: Google StreetView - Credit: Archant
In total 37.6 per cent of grades awarded at the independent day school were at A* with 31 out of 149 pupils bagging three or more at the highest grade.
And 60pc got at least one A* as the first group of pupils to take courses toughened up under former education secretary Michael Gove’s A-Level reforms tackled the changes head on.
Headteacher Adam Pettitt said: “I am just so pleased our pupils rose to the challenge of tougher exams with such determination and intellectual resolve: not that there was any lessening in their enjoyment of wider school life.
“It’s clear these motivated, self-propelled young people took the new exams in their stride and can set out brilliantly prepared for the rigours of the most competitive university courses,” he added.
Joseph Gibber was awarded A*s in economics, maths, further maths and Latin after battling ill health and injury during his A-Level studies. Picture: Jon King - Credit: Archant
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Student Joseph Gibber, who as well as managing exam stress had to recover from pneumonia, a broken collar bone and an operation to remove a benign growth from his coccyx during his studies, said: “The adversity pushed me to work even harder. It’s been an interesting couple of years to say the least.”
Now with straight A*s in economics, maths, further maths and Latin under his belt, Joseph is set to start an internship in the auditing department at Deloitte.
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Sasha Posner, Marjolaine Briscoe and Carolina Valensise spoke of being thrilled, and relieved, to get their grades.
Sasha, who cried tears of joy after getting A*s in biology, chemistry and maths and goes on to study veterinary medicine at Cambridge, said: “I’m very happy and excited about university.”
Marjolaine, who is going to Oxford to study earth sciences after getting A*s in maths, chemistry, physics and geography, added: “With the new A-Levels it was harder to predict where the grade boundaries would be. I’m just really happy. It’s a relief.”
And Carolina, said she too was “pretty relieved” after getting a slew of As and A*s: “My family cried when I told them. It’s great to now know what you have.”
Last year students 64pc of students were awarded A/A*, but the class of 2017 beat that with a school record breaking 69.3pc.
“I’m very proud of them. When they get to university they will know how to make the best of the opportunities on offer to them,” Mr Pettitt said.
