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A-level results special
THERE WAS joy and a little pain for students collecting their A-level results on Thursday.
Loxford School pupils are all set for the future after some impressive results.
Head of sixth form, Sairah Shah said of her students: “We are a comprehensive school and it’s wonderful to see that 99 per cent of our students go onto university.
“These children are trail blazers in the sense that for many of them, their parents didn’t go to university and they will be the first in their family to do so. A-level results day is great and there’s lots of excitement, it’s one of my favourite days. As for the ones that don’t get the results they need, we give them a lot of support and always get them on a course. That’s when other avenues like forensics and sciences become options. Even if they don’t get their first choice there is always something available to them and it’s about moving onto the next thing, and that’s great preparation for adult life.”
The Loxford Lane school’s star pupils was Miriam Razzaq, 18, of Kingston Road, Ilford, who got straight As in media, law and psychology.
She said: “I was so nervous last night I couldn’t sleep but I checked the UCAS website this morning and I got a letter from my university to say that I’d got in, without that I would have been so much worse.
“I was predicted three As but I didn’t really expect it. My parents are over the moon, they had more faith in me than I did. My dad asked me what I wanted for passing and I’ve asked for a guitar.”
Miriam will head to the School of Oriental and African Studied this September to study law, following in her older sister’s footsteps to become a solicitor.
Izlem Behdjet, of Staines Road, Ilford, achieved a B in drama and Cs in media and psychology.
“I went out last night to celebrate a friend’s birthday and it helped take my mind off it but I’m feeling really good today. I didn’t expect to do well in drama as the written exam went wrong. I don’t know what I want to do yet but I’m going to study psycho social science at university.”
Although Hashim Butt, of Romford, was disappointed with his two Bs and a C he said he knew he had tried his best.
He added: “It was really stressful and I don’t think I could have done more. I’ve achieved my goal of getting into university to study law.”
One animal-loving student was in tears after opening her results of two Bs and an A for chemistry, biology and art.
Victoria Oates, 18, of Hampton Road, Ilford, said: “I had really bad thoughts about it but I definitely did better than I expected. My heart was beating so fast before I opened them.
“The first thing I’m going to do is go home and hug my mum. I hope my family are proud, I’m proud of me.”
Victoria will go university in Sheffield to study zoology.
Celebration was also in the air at Ilford Ursuline School, Morland Road, where more than one student achieved four As and the girls planned careers from law to dentistry.
Anan Khokhar, 18, of Ashgrove Road, Goodmayes, got four As in biology, chemistry, physics and politics and wants to become a dentist.
She said: “I’m really happy, I’m going to Kings College and my offer was for two As and a B so I’ve bettered that.
“I expected to do well in the others but not in physics. Some of the exams were really bad. I’m going to celebrate with a big meal tonight with all my extended family. I’m looking forward to university.”
Fellow high achiever and deputy head girl Emma Dennehy, of Romford, got three As in business and economics, English literature and philosophy and ethics.
The 18-year-old had just returned from a holiday in Ibiza to collect her results and brought along her parents for support.
She said: “My family is proud, I’m pleased and my subjects have been really interesting. I’ve wanted to be a barrister for as long as I can remember and I’m going to Durham University.
“I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work.”
Mum Jenny added: “When she got the results I was relieved but I knew she could do it. It was very emotional.”
Zaynab Patel’s decision to re-sit exams after disappointing results paid off when she achieved two As and two Bs.
Zaynab, of Thorold Road, Ilford, said: “I’m so glad I decided to re-sit. I worked really hard and there’s a big difference this year. This time I studied a lot and did it as I went along.
“I still didn’t expect to do so well though. I want to be a pharmacist and I work part time at one in Cranbrook Road to get experience.”
Margaret Warren, head of sixth form, said: “We got some brilliant grades like Anan and Emma’s and Xue Ding who got three As and a merit for doing an extended maths paper. Some are going to excellent places like Imperial.
“It’s a very stressful day but it’s totally worth it. I’m very proud of them.”
Valentines High School, Cranbrook Road, Ilford, also saw students achieving straight As.
Kirun Patel, of Beehive Lane, Ilford, got four As in maths, chemistry, geography and business studies.
She said: “It was a great surprise because I didn’t think I would do so well, although I was confident with maths.
“I’m going to UCL to study geography and economics although I don’t know what I want to do in the future yet. My family is really happy for me. It’s my 18th birthday next week so I’m going to have a double celebration.”
REVISION for A levels was the last thing on Louise Shanks’ mind when her mother was admitted to hospital with a suspected blood clot in June.
The 17-year-old Trinity Catholic High School student did not study at all for her exams during the stressful time, so was thrilled to receive three As and a B when she opened her first year’s results on Thursday.
“I didn’t really think about my exams that much. I just sort of turned up and hoped for the best.”
The unorthodox method obviously paid off for Louise, who took film studies, media studies, English combined and art.
“I’m really happy,” she said.
Her mother was no longer in hospital, although the cause of her illness had not been determined.
Louise said she hoped to study film in Manchester once she finished her second year.
Cheerful chaos reigned at the Mornington Road, Woodford Green, school as students trooped in to pick up the much-anticipated results.
Screams of excitement, rapid chatter from gaggles of hugging students and the odd tearful conversation into a mobile phone could all be heard.
Another first year A level student, Nnamdi Umeh, 17, was also celebrating a successful year, achieving three As and a B.
“I’m pleased, just a bit surprised,” he said.
His family had moved from West London in September, which had disrupted his studies.
“It was a bit daunting starting a new school in a new area, but I adapted to life here pretty quickly.
“I thought I’d do well but I didn’t think on some exam papers that I did as well as I could have.”
Nnamdi wants to study medicine once he has completed his A levels.
Maria Roman, 18, clutched her results tightly, but did not open them.
“I will, but I’m just scared. I don’t know why but I just am.”
Maria, who took maths, chemistry and art, has unconditional acceptance to Camberwell Art Foundation, so will be able to attend regardless of her results.
Wanstead High School, Redbridge Lane West, Wanstead, was celebrating its best ever A level results, with an average points score of 718 per student.
Headteacher Chris Van Bussel said: “This is the second year running that A level results have improved significantly at the school and the vast majority of students have the grade they needed to go on to the University and further education courses of their choice. Both students and staff at the school have worked extremely hard to achieve examination success this year and are to be congratulated for their wonderful effort and achievement.
Amongst the high achievers at Wanstead was Maryam Masalha who gained three A grades and full marks in her history exam.
GASPS of delight and surprise echoed around the school hall at Seven Kings High School as students queued up to get their results.
Clare Roult, 18, was one of the first students to arrive at the school in Ley Street, Ilford. She and her mum, Jean, 47, turned up at 8.30am.
But the half an hour wait until the school doors open was worth it.
“I got an A and two Bs,” said Clare with a big grin.
“I am going to go to Westminster University to do psychology. I may go into teaching after that.”
Mum Jean said: “She is quite rightly happy. I am ecstatic. I’m very proud of her.”
Another proud mum was Najma Rashid, 41, whose daughter Qamar, 17, achieved four AS levels at grade A in maths, chemistry, biology and physics.
“I’m going to take her for a dinner or whatever she wants,” she said. “I have already bought her gifts.”
But not everyone was happy.
Ian Deeks, 18, said: “I did religious education and electronics and I was hoping to get two Bs. I got a C and a D. “My course wanted 200 points minimum to study architecture at Greenwich.
“I am going to have to go through clearing. I really want to go to University.”
Overall the school has continued to expand its academic success story. A total of 47 students attained straight A grades in three or more subjects and 68.7 per cent of all grades were either As or Bs – another best ever for the school.
Headteacher Sir Alan Steer said: “My colleagues and I are delighted with these outstanding results.
“At a time of national concern over the numbers of students taking sciences and mathematics at university, these results are quite remarkable.”
CHEERS and screams reverberated around the school playground as pupils opened their A-level results at King Solomon High School on Thursday.
Robert Sands, 18, of Grange Crescent, Chigwell, opened his results with the Recorder and was overjoyed when he discovered he had achieved three As.
He said: “I wasn’t expecting that at all! That means I can go to UCL to study medicine.”
Robert immediately rang his mum who was waiting anxiously in the school car park, Forest Road, Barkingside, and told her to come and meet him because it was good news.
“I didn’t sleep much at all last night,” he said, “I was going over and over my answers to the exam in my head. Doing A-levels has been the hardest thing ever.
“I’m still trying to fathom this – this is crazy! I’m ecstatic!”
Another pupil determined to celebrate was Ben Moss, 18, of Craven Gardens, Barkingside, who was thrilled with his three Bs.
The 18-year-old has fought leukaemia three times during his school career and said: “I’m really, really pleased. I missed quite a lot of school and missed the whole of year eight, so I was just really pleased when I got my GCSEs! This is great!
“I love computers so I’m going to the University of Hertfordshire to do information and communication technology.
“I haven’t even had a chance to ring my mum yet! She’ll be really pleased. This is brilliant.”
Head of year 13, “Prod” Prodromou, said: “We’re very pleased. These results compare very, very well with last year. The students have worked hard with excellent motivation and deserve their success, and the staff have worked hard too.
“One student got five straight As, and others got four or three straight As.
“We’re also particularly pleased with the students who worked hard to get the grades at the lower end of the scale – they don’t make the headlines but they’ve worked hard and have done well.
“I don’t think A-levels are getting easier, I think students are better motivated and much more prepared to work hard – and A-levels are really for the top 20 or 30 per cent of the ability range.”
THERE were emotional scenes at Beal High School as students celebrated or commiserated with each other.
Several students had anxious parents waiting in the car park, although some could not wait that long and accompanied their children to collect the envelopes in the school hall.
Elisha Deol, 18, Stradbroke Gardens, Clayhall, opened her results with her mum.
She wept with joy as she said: “I got three As in maths, chemistry and economics.
“I’m going to Oxford to do economics and management. I’ve been awful to live with for the last six months because I was so stressed about this!
“I’m so happy – I’m the first one in my family to go to university. I couldn’t sleep last night at all – I’ve been awake for 30 hours! I’m definitely going to go out and celebrate now!”
Elisha’s mum Smita, 45, was a little tearful too, and said: “It’s been a very anxious and stressful time. I’m really proud of her.
We’ll definitively be celebrating and her grandma will be around later and we’ll have a big party!”
Another student brought his own new family.
Ersin Cimener, 18, of Redbridge Lane East, brought his baby son Robert with him to collect his results.
His girlfriend of four years, Kirsty Philps, 18, waited with the four-month-old while Ersin opened his envelope.
He said: “I got two As and a B, and I’m reasonably pleased with that - but I wanted three As, just for my personal achievement. I’m going to Nottingham now to do business management.”
Kirsty, of Colvin Gardens, Hainault, did well in her AS levels last year, before she left school in October to have Robert.
She said she was very proud of her boyfriend and added: “The baby couldn’t keep his milk down so he had to have an operation during Ersin’s A-levels so it was stressful. We were both really worried about that. I think he did really well because we had a lot going on.
“My pregnancy was stressful too because we were worried things were going wrong.
“I’m going to go to Nottingham with him then will come back down here to do my A-levels. I want to do psychology at university in the future.”
Poorvi Shah, 17, of Hatley Avenue, Barkingside, achieved two As, a B and a D in her AS levels, and said: “I’m just about to call my family – my mum’s waiting for me to call her at home, I think she was more nervous than me!
“I’ve got another year of school left and I did better in the subject I wanted to drop than the one I wanted to continue, so I’m not sure if that’s going to happen now!
“I can’t go and celebrate now as I’ve got to work at Tescos but I went out last night instead, so it’s fine!”
Amar Panesar, 17, of Jefferson Close, Gants Hill, achieved two As and two Bs in his AS levels, although he was disappointed that he had not got an A in his chemistry exam. He said: “I think I was just a couple of marks off getting an A so I’m not that pleased. I’m going to do my A-levels and go to university but I don’t know what I want to do yet. Maybe history, medicine, veterinary science or business.”
Head boy Indie Shergill, 18, of Lord Avenue, Clayhall, achieved three As. He said: “I was going to go to Royal Holloway University to do history and English literature. But now I’ve got three As I think I’ll try to go somewhere a bit more ‘three A worthy’! I know that sounds snobby but I can afford to be now!
“I’m really pleased with my results. I’m going to expect lots of presents from my family now!”
Post-16 progression coordinator, Nick Baker, said: “I look after them to help them get to university or sort out careers. I found out the results this morning because I only came back from my honeymoon on Tuesday!
“I know what they’ve got and whether they’ve got the grades they need to go on to university so this is always very tense for us.
“But they’ve all done pretty well and universities are often quite flexible if students haven’t got the results they needed.”
Mark Smith, head of year 13 at the school in Woodford Bridge Road, Ilford, said: “We’re really happy – 21 students got straight As, the highest number we’ve ever had.
“Even people who got three Es have achieved their own potential which is great.
“Our overall pass rate was 99.4 per cent.
“This year group worked really hard they did well in their GCSEs and they carried on working.
“I don’t think A-Levels are getting easier – we as teachers get better informed every year about what the requirements are, we’re getting more experience and we’re able to prepare them better.
“I also think it’s hard to compare A-level standards because each year is a different paper and different students. The exam boards set the boundaries and those change every year too.”
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