Thursday August 21, 2014, H&H Series 27 I Srutti Suresan, Catherine Sinden, Ramisa Yazdani Biouki, Sarah Mohammed from Francis Holland School were in high spirits after getting their A-level results CONTENTS Pages 28-29: Paddington Academy A-level results and Westminster borough results Page 31: St Marylebone and DLD College 9-page special Page 33: Quintin Kynaston and Francis Holland Bishop Douglass School Bishop Douglass School, Hamilton Road, East Finchley N2 0SQ. Visit our website www.bishopdouglass.barnett.sch.uk 28 H&H Series, Thursday August 21, 2014 EDUCATION | A-level Results NOW ENROLLING FOR SEPTEMBER 2015 OPEN DAY 22nd OCTOBER 2pm and 5pm Delighted students from Paddington Academy clutch their A-level results by Samantha Lewis A Student who [email protected] courageous schoolboy who fought back from a brain tu- mour has scored a top set of A- level results and is now getting battled brain ready for university. Mohamed Musa was diag- nosed with the illness when he was in Year 10 at Paddington Academy, in Marylands Road, tumour earns after suffering from severe headaches. He spent months in hospital after undergoing a major oper- ation – but despite missing a lot an excellent of school, he was determined nothing was going to get in the way of his education. With the help of his teachers he sat his A-levels exams this set of results summer and has achieved an impressive two As and a B in maths, economics and Arabic. Role model Despite major surgery and months Mohamed, who is taking up a place at Queen Mary Universi- ty to study economics, was vis- in hospital he shines in his exams iting family in Sudan last week Results table 16+ ENTRY FOR GIRLS & BOYS School: A*-A 2014, A*-C 2014, ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN Grey Coat Hospital: 33 88 Paddington Academy: 20 70 Register now for entry 2017 Pimlico Academy: 26 85 Quintin Kynaston: 19 64 To request a prospectus or St Augustine’s High: 16 72 to find out about Open Days St Marylebone: 36 93 Westminster City School: X 76 please call 020 7963 1003 Francis Holland: 55 96 or email: [email protected] DLD College: 34 80 Westminster Academy 41 89 (International Baccalaureate) Thursday August 21, 2014, H&H Series 29 Follow us online at hamhigh.co.uk Results leap as national pass rate slips a little Youngsters across the borough have eclipsed the national aver- age for A-level results despite the overall pass rate falling across the country for the first time in more than 30 years. Provisional figures pro- vided by Westminster Council show 81 per cent of students achieved A* to C grades, com- pared with 77pc nationally. The number of teenagers earning A* to E grades was also slightly higher than the national average coming in at 99pc, with 27pc of all entries bagging one or more A* and A grades. St Marylebone Sixth Form again topped the league table both for the number of A*-C grades (93pc) and the number of A* and A grades (36pc). While at the other end of the scale was Quintin Kynaston, in St John’s Wood, which re- corded a A*-C pass rate of 64pc – but it was celebrating its best- ever set of results after seeing the score leap by 5pc compared Mohamed was one of Pad- with 2013’s results. dington Academy’s high-flying A handful of other schools A-level pupils. Other star per- also bucked the national trend formers included Andre Tho- and saw marked improvements mas, who is looking forward in the number of pupils achiev- to studying natural sciences at ing the best grades. University College London af- Students at St Augustine’s ter scoring A*, A, B. High, in Maida Vale, outper- The sixth formers as a whole formed last year’s year group performed very well, with the with 16pc earning A* and school celebrating its best-ever A grades, with every sixth A-level results. former passing all their exams. The number of students “The high number of top earning A* to C grades in- grades, with more grades A*-C creased to 70 per cent – up by compared to the rest of the Mohamed – role model five per cent on last year’s total. country, is a testament to the The proportion of entries gain- hard work of local pupils and so was not at the school on the ing top scores also increased teachers, and I wish students day to collect his results. with a fifth achieving one or across Westminster the best of However, friends and teach- more A* and A grades. luck in their future education, ers were thinking of him. Principal Oli Tomlinson said training and work,” said Cllr “We’re really proud of him she was pleased to see their Suhail Rahuja, deputy cabi- and how he worked so hard. I hard work had been rewarded. net member for children and thought he would have given “For staff it is always par- young people. up on his education but he was ticularly lovely to see students “Westminster Council has a really brave and kept going,” we have known since Year 7 go range of support to help young said close friend Kamal Deris. on to excellent universities,” people get their foot on the ca- “It just shows that there she said. reer ladder, gain work experi- should not be an excuse for any “I am very proud of them all ence or find training – so please of us. You can get to where you and of our staff for the hard get in touch. Congratulations want to if you work hard. He’s work they invest in helping our once again to all students who a great role model.” students achieve so highly.” have received results.” A*-E 2014, A*-A 2013, A*-C 2013, A*-E 2013 100 28 85 99 99 18 65 100 100 16 84 100 96 17 59 97 100 12 75 96 100 42 92 99 100 X X X 100 57 98 100 99 29 78 98 98 35 81 100 Thursday August 21, 2014, H&H Series 33 Follow us on Twitter @woodandvale A-level results | EDUCATION School achieves record exam success Joyful celebrations after 64 per cent of Quintin Kynaston’s students receive grades A* to C by Samantha Lewis [email protected] Students from Quintin Kynaston Academy earned themselves a pat on the back as it was revealed last week that the school had exceeded all its previous A-level results. The success stories came in thick and fast on Thursday morn- ing when anxious teenagers gath- ered at the St John’s Wood school to discover the outcome of two years of hard work. Overall, 64 per cent of pupils achieved grades A* to C with several top scorers ripping open their results to find they had attained A* and A grades. Unconfident Among those was Miguel Rodrigues Gomes, who secured his place at King’s College to study physics after achieving two A*s and two As, despite not feeling con- Students, including Seena Saberi-Movahed, left, celebrate their A-level results fident about how his summer ex- ams had gone. prised by his results was Seena it was completely unexpected. I ther maths, with 50 per cent of the A*, three As and a B. She will start “The A* in maths threw me off Saberi-Movahed, who had felt dis- thought I might have got a B in class achieving an A* or A. a degree in maths at University because one of the exams was appointed as he went into school biology, but it turns out I got an Headteacher Alex Atherton College London next month. very bad, but I still managed to get after being turned down to study A*.” he said. congratulated all of the students “We have a lot of students an A in that,” he said. medicine at all of his chosen uni- He thanked the school for be- and gave a special mention to who’ve done exceptionally well Miguel hopes to go on to do an versities. ing “overly supportive” over the Weihan He, who joined the school and a lot of students whose hard MA and then a PhD after his un- But he could not wipe the smile last two years and now plans to two years ago after arriving from work has really paid off,” Mr dergraduate degree, adding: “If I off his face when he found out reapply to study medicine at a China. Atherton went on. get doctor or professor in front of that he had achieved two A*s and range of prestigious universities. She spoke limited English to “There are also some very hap- my name, that would definitely be an A – much higher than his pre- In 28 subjects the school re- begin with but worked extremely py members of staff who have re- a good thing.” dicted grades. ported a 100 per cent pass rate and hard to overcome the language ally gone the extra mile with these Another student pleasantly sur- “I’m over the moon because highlighted glowing grades in fur- barrier and earned herself one students.” I’m following in the family’s footsteps to study at Oxford Jubilant teenagers were seen my tutors and like-minded peo- jumping for joy at Francis Hol- ple,” she added. land School as the nail-biting wait My family Other high achievers included for their A-level results came to an two students who are both going end.