A round up of how schools in the Chiswick area performed

Louis Medd and Visnja Javanovic at Chiswick School

Sixth form students from around the Chiswick area have delivered an exceptional set of exam results despite a national fall in the level of passes at top grades. The decline has been attributed to tougher standards implemented for some papers this year which led to the lowest pass rates for a decade.

Chiswick School received a total of 17% A*-A grades, which is an increase of 10% on last year in the top category. However overall it fared less well than last year.

A total of 38% entries were A*-B grades and almost two-thirds of grades awarded (60%) were A*-C, compared to the 2018 results of 55% and 81% respectively.

The percentage of of BTEC entries at Dis-Dis* was 50%.

Some of the best A level results were achieved by students who had attended Chiswick School since Year 7. Visnja Javanovic will be going to study Philosophy at King's College London, after achieving an A* in Philosophy, A in English and A in Biology. She said she was so nervous before results day that she did not sleep a wink.

Louis Medd will be studying English at Bristol University after receiving A* grades in History, A in Politics and A in English. He praised the school for encouraging him to aim high and said he received lots of pastoral support and UCAS guidance.

Cal Chapman (pictured below in brown jacket) achieved a A in Geography, B in Politics and B in History and has accepted a place at the Univeristy of Bristol to study Politics and International Relations.

Chiswick School headteacher Laura Ellener, on left, with Cllr Tom Bruce, and Sixth Form head, pictured with students

The overall pass rate (A-E) at 94% is below the national average of 97.6% and a reduction from last year when the school celebrated a 100% pass rate.

Chiswick School Headteacher Laura Ellener, who took over the post eight months ago, said the school was "very proud to be celebrating some great results with our wonderful Yr 13 students."

Asked to comment on the results she said, "Although these results are not as exceptional as last year's, which were in the top 17% of the country, student's starting points were not as high. As with all schools we are now judged on the progress students make. There were some incredible results in many subject areas and the majority of students have achieved brilliantly and are off to the university of their choice.

"Since arriving at Chiswick School I have made many changes. The community has been incredibly supportive of the journey we are on and while we have some way to go the school is now in a position to flourish."

Students Zuhra Shaale and Nile John with the head of Sixth Form at Chiswick

The national trend shows that the proportion of students achieving the top grades at A-level has fallen to its lowest level for more than a decade.

This year some 25.5 % got an A grade or higher in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the lowest level since 2007 when it was 25.3%.

Sixth Form students at ArtsEd celebrated the school’s best ever results in BTECs with 100% Triple Distinction and above (equivalent to three A levels at A and A* grade), with 85% achieving Triple Distinction (D* D* D*)

A levels also saw a 100% pass rate with 30% of all A level results at A* / A, and overall 78% of all results were A* - B, which is their highest figure on record.

ArtsEd’s Sixth Form leavers will be heading off to a range of vocational destinations, including Bristol Old Vic, Bird, Laine Theatre Arts, LAMDA, London Studio Centre, Mountview, RADA, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, with others choosing university places in Falmouth, University of Sussex, Rose Bruford College, Cardiff University and University of the Arts London.

Some students have gone straight into professional work, with Billy Nevers currently starring in Jesus Christ Superstar at The Barbican, followed by Romeo & Juliet at The Shaftesbury in November.

Adrian Blake, Headteacher for ArtsEd’s Day School and Sixth Form said, "I am so proud of all the students who have worked tirelessly to achieve such wonderful results – and full credit to the staff who have enabled each of our sixth form students to stretch themselves as learners in order to shine in the exam room as well as on the stage. This is our best set of sixth form results ever, and shows improvement in BTEC and A levels for the seventh year in a row. I wish each and every one of our students the very best for their continuing studies here at ArtsEd and beyond.”

Mark Ferrington, Head of Sixth Form said, "These results demonstrate that ArtsEd Sixth Form provides the very best choice for students looking for a bright future.”

20 students at Latymer Upper are off to US top universities including Josh Willcox, who was awarded 4A* and Alex Wright, who received 3A* and an A grade – both will go to Harvard, and twins Cecile and Felix Ramin (above) who are off to Yale and Chicago respectively.

Roya Sabbaghi, who received 4A*and Melita Gostelow, who has 3A* grades, are both off to Oxbridge to study Engineering and Natural Sciences, respectively, whilst Sophia Rzym will go to Sheffield to study Aerospace Engineering.

· 70% of grades were at A*/A

· 20 students secured places at top North American universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Georgetown and Brown

· 78% of Sixth Form new joiners’ grades were A*/A

· Of girls taking science subjects 63% were A*/A

· Record number of pupils to study Liberal Arts at University

Latymer Upper School Head, David Goodhew, said, "The Class of 2019 have exciting futures to look forward to in the next stage of their educational journey. Our pupils are encouraged to foster an international outlook on life during their time here so it’s no surprise that many will be studying abroad, the majority is the US."

It was good news for students at Gumley High School in Isleworth, with more than half of students achieving A*-B grades, surpassing the last three years.

A school spokesman said this year’s students had shown determination throughout their A-levels and strived for their own personal best.

He said: “Outstanding performances from key departments include Art, French, Italian, English Literature, Maths and Further Maths where the majority of students achieved A* – C grades.”

Some notable successes among the students included Sofia Azevedo, who would be heading off to her first choice university, King’s College London, to study Business and Spanish.

Another student, Emily Bryce, was thrilled to have gained the grades she needed to in order to study Sports Science at East Anglia.

Rachel Hatherley managed to achieve A* and 2 A’s in French, Spanish and History, and now hopes to use her language skills in international development.

Head Girl, Olivia, is one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a Vet after receiving her outstanding A*, A*, A in Biology, Chemistry and Maths.

Anthony Graham, Head of Sixth Form, said: “The tireless dedication to achieving their goals is admirable and this year’s success is a credit to all involved. I am excited to see what the future holds for all of our students.”

Students in the borough of Hounslow achieved a pass rate in their A Level examinations of 97%- which is just about on target with the national pass rate of 97.6% .

The numbers of students taking A level exams in the borough's schools increased from 1,200 last year to nearly 1,400 this year. Over 70% of A levels were awarded grades between A* and C.

Upper Sixth students at Godolphin and Latymer school have also achieved record-breaking results this year. 37% of A Levels were awarded A* and 77% were graded A* or A. Eleven students achieved three A* grades in their academic subjects, plus an A* in their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). A further eighteen students achieved two A* grades alongside an A* in their EPQ. Overall, an impressive 60% of the EPQs were awarded A* grades.

Combined with the IB results released in July, 41% of exams were graded A* or Higher Level 7. In the IB examinations, the average score of our candidates was 41 points and five candidates achieved 44 or more points (out of 45).

This year 27 students will take up places at Global Top Ten universities and we wish all the Class of 2019 continued success as they embark on a wide range of competitive courses at their choice of university.

The school says, 'this is an amazing achievement and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our girls and their teachers."

 Cllr Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services at Hounslow Council said, “Firstly, I would like to congratulate all those students who have achieved what they set out to do. It should also be noted that 2019 has seen the vast majority of tougher A level exams come into place, providing a further challenge for students.

“We often forget that a huge amount of hard work goes into achieving these results, not only from the students but also from their teachers, parents and carers who have been on hand for many years supporting them throughout their studies."

Read our full round up of results from other schools

August 17, 2019