A-levels 2023: Live updates as Suffolk students receive results
Students across Suffolk are celebrating their A-level results today, opening the gateway for university or their chosen career.
This year grading standards are expected to return to a similar pattern to 2019 – before the coronavirus pandemic – meaning the number achieving the top grades will reduce in comparison to last year, which was in turn a reduction on the previous year.
Looking at Suffolk, the percentage of grades at C and above was 71 per cent, down from 77.6 per cent the previous year.
Bury St Edmunds County High School
At County High School the cohort of students was much smaller than last year with a total of 57.
Fifty nine per cent achieved A* to C alongside 75 per cent of Level 3 vocational qualifications achieving the equivalent level, with an overall pass rate of 95 per cent.
Headteacher Sally Kennedy said: “We are very proud of the results achieved by our students this year - the first year of national examinations for our young people in this cohort.
“This is testament to their hard work and the dedication of their teachers together with the support of their families despite the challenges they have faced.
St Benedict’s Catholic School in Bury St Edmunds
At St Benedict’s Catholic School, a total of 70 students sat A-levels, with the percentage of students gaining A*-C at 77 per cent. The overall passrate was 99 per cent.
Headteacher Imogen Senior said: ‘We continue to be very proud of the Year 13 students, not just at the excellent set of exam results they have achieved this year, but at the manner in which they have tackled any and all challenges they have faced during their time at St Benedict’s.
“Their determination, maturity and support for one another during their A-level studies has been a joy to watch and we are thrilled to see so many of them go on to the fantastic next stages of their education or careers their hard work has merited.
“We are pleased to see continued excellence despite lower scores nationally with 20 per cent of students achieving three or more A* or A grades and 31 per cent of all grades awarded at A* or A.”
Deputy head Sam Tatum said: “The top results have dropped, but not by as much as we thought they would looking at the national picture.
“We are really proud of how the students have done. The number of students getting into Oxbridge has been really impressive.”
For more Bury St Edmunds results, click here.
Felixstowe School
Felixstowe School has praised the determination of its ‘inspirational’ students who received their A-level and Level 3 results today.
Out of the 57 Year 13 pupils, the overall pass rate was 90 per cent (A-levels only) and 94 per cent including BTECs and other qualifications.
The percentage of students achieving A* to C grades was 53 per cent (A-levels only) and 76 per cent including BTECs and other qualifications.
Headteacher Emma Wilson-Downes said: “The past few years have been incredibly difficult for young people and our students have been incredible in rising to the challenges they have been presented with.
“The work ethic they have built and continually demonstrated will be a huge asset to them in their future careers and the grit and determination they have shown throughout has been nothing short of inspirational.”
For more Felixstowe results, click here.
Thurston Community College
Of the 132 students entered for Level 3 qualifications at Thurston Community College, 20 per cent of grades awarded were A* or A (or equivalent) and 95% were A* to E (or equivalent).
At Thurston Community College, vice principal David Gower said it was important to pause and reflect on what students have had to endure over the past few years as they have prepared for this moment.
This included national lockdowns, with phased returns to school, Covid testing, face masks and social distancing, while absence was high due to new Covid variants including Omicron.
There were also national teacher strikes and additional bank holidays for the Queen’s funeral and the King’s coronation.
“They have not experienced ‘normal’ times yet they will receive ‘normal’ results as we have been told grading will return to pre-pandemic levels (results that will be comparable with 2019),” said Mr Gower.
“There will be stories circulating about the reduced number of ‘top’ grades, more competition for university places and more students dropping out of higher education.
“At Thurston Community College, our students have continued to impress us every day with their resilience, dedication to their studies, support they have given each other and the powerful community they have created at our Thurston Sixth Beyton Campus.”
Woodbridge School
At Woodbridge School, 88 per cent of grades were A* to C and 95 per cent of students have places at their choices of university.
Shona Norman, head of school, said: “This is a superb achievement, especially given the many disruptions of the last few years in education and beyond.
“I feel incredibly proud of our students and want to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that they have shown.
“I know that they will join me in expressing much gratitude to their teachers and tutors who have supported them throughout.
“On behalf of everyone at Woodbridge School, I wish the class of 2023 every success and happiness as they embark upon their next chapter.”
Abbeygate Sixth Form College in Bury St Edmunds
Leavers at Abbeygate Sixth Form College in Bury have been reflecting on their A-level results, with the assistant principal hailing the last school year as a return to “normality.”
This year, 19 per cent of pupils have netted an A* or A grade, with 48 per cent achieving at least one A*-B result and 72 per cent an A*-C grade.
Assistant principal Stuart Small said: ““We know, nationally, that we’ve moved back to the 2019 standard, so we have seen a slight drop in headline results. But we’ve also seen a lot of students placed at university, so we’re just supporting those who need and want that support.
Mildenhall College Academy
Nicola Hood, principal at Mildenhall College Academy, said: “I am really proud of all of our students and their achievements especially in light of the fact that they did not sit GCSE examinations and so their first experience of terminal examinations has been at a very high level.
Read more stories from Mildenhall College Academy here.
“As a cohort of students they have been an absolute pleasure to teach and a credit to the academy.”
The academy is still waiting on the last results to come through for a number of students who sat A-levels and Level 3 qualifications before giving the final pass rates.
Haverhill Community Sixth Form
The “resilience and self-belief” shown by students at Haverhill Community Sixth Form came in for particular praise following the publication of post-16 results today.
Andy Hunter, executive headteacher of Haverhill Community Sixth Form, congratulated students picking up their results.
He said: “These young people have consistently embodied our values of aspiration, bravery and compassion - they make us all very proud.”
Thomas Paine Sixth Form at Thetford Academy
At Thomas Paine Sixth Form at Thetford Academy around 51 pupils sat their A-levels, with 70 per cent achieving A*-C grades, and a pass rate of over 98 per cent.
Michael Fordham, principal of the Thomas Paine Sixth Form and Thetford Academy, said: “I am incredibly proud of our sixth form students.
“At Thomas Paine Sixth Form, we pride ourselves on offering a personalised approach to pastoral and academic support and are proud to have high aspirations for every one of our students.”
For more, click here.
Stowupland High School
Stowupland High School is extremely proud so many students have gained places at universities this year.
This morning, students flocked to the school’s John Milton Sixth Form building in Stowupland, near Stowmarket, to collect their A-level, T-level and B-Tec grades.
The school is delighted to report outstanding achievements by its students with successes across a range of A-levels and Level 3 qualifications.
For more, click here.
Thomas Gainsborough School in Great Cornard
The Great Cornard high school, near Sudbury, reported a strong set of results from the class of 2023, with at least 99 per cent of those who applied to university earning the necessary marks to move into further education.
TGS director of sixth-form Kenny Alexander explained that he was ‘extremely happy’ to see the students perform so well, particularly after the challenges of returning to full exams, following the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The students have put in the hard work and, of course, they have worked with some amazing teachers,” he said.
“Obviously, a lot of students came to us from Ormiston when their sixth-form closed. From that point of view, we have worked to give them the same opportunities as everyone else, and they have done amazingly well.
“I think we’re in a great position post-Covid. Although it was challenging for the students, I think that the time and effort they put in has come to fruition, and that is shown in their results.”
For more, click here.
One Sixth Form College (OSFC) in Ipswich
Students at One Sixth Form College (OSFC) in Ipswich were praised for their A-levels success after their ‘natural enthusiasm and determination to succeed’ shone through.
At One, 851 students received either A-level or BTEC grades, with a 96 per cent overall pass rate – 71 per cent of students achieving grades at A* to C and 43 per cent at A* to B.
Meanwhile, 99 per cent of all BTEC students passed their vocational qualifications.
For more, click here.
Association of School and College Leaders
Commenting on this year’s A-level and VTQ results in England, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The proportion of students achieving the top A-level grades has fallen sharply this year, not as a result of underperformance, but because the grading system has been adjusted in the wake of the pandemic so that the distribution of grades in England is similar to 2019.
“This adjustment is a return to normality after the pandemic which necessitated the use of different approaches to grading.
“Whatever the rationale, however, it will feel like a bruising experience for many students, as well as schools and colleges which will have seen a sharp dip in top grades compared to the past three years.
“It is important to remember that these students also suffered the disruption of the pandemic, and this will have impacted particularly on those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“It is likely then that results at school or college level and between areas will be affected by these varying circumstances and it is important that parents, governors, politicians and commentators understand that this year is not comparable with 2019 or any other previous year.
“Everything possible too must be done to support these students. Universities must ensure their welfare systems provide the emotional and academic support some will require. The Government must ensure employers are fully aware of the changes to grading standards.
“We would urge students who are disappointed by their grades not to panic but to talk to their teachers about the options available to them and we wish all the young people receiving their results today every success for the future.”
Mr Barton, a former headteacher of King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds, said it was ‘imperative’ that the Government engaged with employer associations and provided advice and guidance for employers to use over the changes which have taken place to grading standards between 2020 and 2023.
“This is vital to ensure that employers understand how different cohorts of students have been graded during and after the Covid pandemic and guard against students being disadvantaged in applications for jobs both now and in the future,” he added.
Students who miss out on their expected grades are also set to face fierce competition for university places this summer, with UCAS’ clearing system recording fewer places available at 130 universities compared with this time last year.
UCAS is the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Reporting by Mariam Ghaemi, Suzanne Day, Charlie Masters, Cameron Reid and Paul Derrick.
