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Hampstead pupils Becky Chan and Clare Fanthorpe |
Joy and relief as A-level students make the grade
‘I was freaking out before I got the results, but now I’m so happy – it was all worth it’
THE annual nail-biting wait for A level students came to an end on Thursday as pupils from across the borough queued up for their results.
But students from La Swap sixth-form college and Hampstead School in West Hampstead needn’t have worried as they opened their brown envelopes, with both schools bettering last year’s grades.
As did Camden as a whole, with 50.7 per cent of the borough’s students achieving an A or B in their A-levels – beating the national average of 50.2 per cent, which includes the results from independent schools, and smashing last year’s 49.3 per cent.
The overall pass rate, 96.9 per cent, is the same as it was last year but has gone up since 2001, when it was 90 per cent.
Maria Leggatt, 18, studied chemistry, biology and religious education at La Swap, a joint sixth-form college for La Sainte Union, William Ellis, Acland Burghley and Parliament Hill schools. She dreams of becoming a doctor and has applied to medical school in Manchester.
But things did not go smoothly at first.
She said: “When I got my AS results they were not good enough – they were not what I needed.”
But her below par performance last year kick-started her studies.
“I realised the only way to get the results I needed was to work really hard and do my best.”
She swept the board with three As and is now looking forward to heading north, where she will be joined by friend Rosa Hirsch. Rosa, also 18, strode through her maths, biology and chemistry exams, bagging two As and a B.
Rohima Ali, 18, was celebrating her own fine performance: the former South Camden Community School pupil moved to La Swap to sit her A-levels and got two As and a B – enough to get her into Brunel University to study psychology.
She admitted that the build-up to results day had been nerve-wracking. “I was freaking out last night,” she said, “but I am now so happy – the stress was worth it.”
Ellen Marsh got top marks in English, French and Classics. Her three As are good enough to secure her a prestigious place to read English at Oxford.
Meanwhile, over at Hampstead School in Westbere Road, West Hampstead, another top student was celebrating her entry to Oxbridge.
Clare Fanthorpe, 17, who also got three As, is on her way to Cambridge to study maths. Explaining her passion for the subject, she said: “It’s really perfect and when it all works out it all falls into place and always works exactly.”
Becky Chan, from West Hampstead, got two As and two Bs and is all set to read English at Edinburgh University. But her true passion lies away from the books and in the glossy pages of a magazine. “I’m really interested in journalism,” she said, “but not the breaking news variety, more magazine news features.”
Deputy head Andrea Smith celebrated this year’s success. The number of students achieving A and B grades shot up by more than 10 per cent on last year to just under 50 per cent, she said.
But she described results day as a bittersweet time for her, as she waved goodbye to pupils she had known for seven years. “It’s a mixture of terrific pride and a tinge of sadness,” she said. “But its a feature of Hampstead that so many students stay in touch.”
Conservative education chief Councillor Andrew Mennear said: “Camden’s students are going from strength to strength. I am pleased to see yet another good set of A level results.
“I would like to congratulate the schools and students for all they have achieved. The results show how hard everyone has worked and the great effort they have put in. My thanks, too, to the teachers and families who have provided support and guidance to help our students achieve these results. I wish them all well in their future plans.” |
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