Barnet students celebrate as A-Level results

Schools across the borough show strong results, with several Barnet posting standout figures, reports Leïla Davaud

A row of young people with arms in the air celebrating exam results — Barnet students celebrating their A-Level results – (Credit – Barnet Council)

“I’m so happy I’m going to Oxford University,” says Saffron, an A-Level student at The Compton School. The morning of 13th August marked the beginning of a bright future. As she collected her results alongside classmates, she said: “It’s overwhelming but cool. I want to say a big thank you to all my teachers for their support.”

The Compton School reported that 79% of grades were A*-C, with one in five awarded at A*-A. Its vocational students also performed well: all BTEC Sport students achieved Distinction* or Distinction, while 88% of BTEC Business Studies students achieved the same.

Across Barnet, provisional results from the borough’s 28 schools with a sixth form or sixth form college point to another strong year. If the pattern of the past decade continues, Barnet will again rank among the country’s top-performing areas.

Figures released so far show that 98% of A-level exams taken in the borough were awarded A*-E, just ahead of the national average of 97.5%. Further up the scale, 86% achieved A*-C, compared with 78.4% nationally; 68% achieved A*-B; and 40% achieved A*-A.

The latter figure deserves to be highlighted. Barnet’s A*-A rate of 40% is 11.5 percentage points above the national average of 28.5% and 7.3 points above London’s 32.7%.

Queen Elizabeth’s Boys’ School is proud to have recorded 62% of grades at A*, up 8.7 percentage points on last year, with 98% at A*-B. The school said this marked the 21st consecutive year in which its A*-B rate has exceeded 95%.

The school also reported that 95% of confirmed university offers were from Russell Group institutions, with almost two-thirds of students heading to universities ranked in the QS World Rankings top 10.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This is a day of great celebration at Queen’s Road! My heartfelt congratulations go to my colleagues, our supportive parents and families, and, of course, most of all to the leavers, whose hard work and application have paid off in such spectacular fashion. They now leave us for places on hugely competitive degree courses at exciting university destinations.

“Year 13 are an impressive cohort and not just in terms of their determination and academic talent. They are great company, full of humour and mutually supportive, while displaying commendable curiosity and maturity. I am certain that these young men are ready to sally forth into the next chapters of their lives and careers and make a telling contribution to society.”

Not too far away, Ark Pioneer Academy celebrated its first-ever A-level and BTEC results from its inaugural sixth-form cohort.

The school reported that 98.9% of A-level entries were graded A*-E, with 70.1% at A*-C, 49.5% at A*-B and 14.7% at A*-A. Its BTEC students also performed strongly, with the school ranking in the top 10% nationally for Applied Science and the top 25% for Business.

Among Ark Pioneer’s standout performers, Mason Macdonald achieved A*, A and A in Maths, Further Maths and Physics and will study Civil Engineering at UCL. Kalina Miteva achieved three As and will read Geography at Exeter, while Santiago Pacheco Chapellin achieved D,D,D* in BTEC Applied Science and will progress to Biomedical Science at Sheffield.

Su Reddy, principal of Ark Pioneer Academy, said: “This is a very proud day for our school community. Our first sixth form cohort has shown ambition, determination and commitment throughout their studies, and their achievements reflect the high expectations and strong support that sit at the heart of Ark Pioneer.”

At the independent Mount House School in Hadley Wood, all students studying Computer Science and Criminology achieved A*-C, while 75% of History students attained A*-B.

Among the school’s standout performers, George achieved AAA and will study Computer Science at Warwick; Anna is heading to Bristol to study History; Alice will study Physics at Nottingham; and Katherine will read Classics at Leeds.

The results come as the school prepares to open newly transformed sixth-form facilities in September.

Jon Cooper, head of Mount House School, said: “Behind every set of results is a unique young person with their own ambitions, challenges and achievements, and we are immensely proud of every member of our Sixth Form community. The individual attention, pastoral care and personalised support that sit at the heart of a Mount House education enable our pupils to flourish as individuals, developing the confidence and self-belief to pursue futures that are right for them.”

According to Barnet Council, the borough’s A-level results have consistently ranked in the top 5% nationally over the past nine years.

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