STUDENTS at Matravers School have been celebrating over the past fortnight as they received their A-level, AS level, and GCSE results.
Students from the sixth form gathered at the school on Thursday 19th August to pick up their results. With a shortfall of university places this year the lead up to results day would have been a nerve racking time for many, but fortunately there were plenty of smiles amongst the students.
Matravers School was delighted to see some of its students achieve the new A* grade, which was introduced this year to differentiate between the top achievers. Students obtaining an A* had to score an A grade overall, as well as achieving 90% or over in each paper in the second year of their course.
One of Matravers’ top students, Michelle Hulin, scooped 2 A*s and 1 A in her A-levels. “It wasn’t what I was expecting, I was expecting something like ABB!” she said. “It does feel good, I did work hard, and it’s what I needed to get.” Michelle will now go on to Bath University to study biology or biochemisty.
Head boy, George Flood, was thrilled with his 2 A* and 1 B. “I’m very pleased – I really wasn’t expecting that!” he said. “I only needed 3 Cs so it was definitely a shock! Particularly the B in English lit as I found it a really hard exam.”
Adam McNeil and Sam Reeves both achieved results of A*, A, B in their chosen subjects. “I’m happy – I got in [to my university] – that’s the important thing!” said Sam. Sam will be going to Plymouth to study physiotherapy, while Adam is looking forward to starting his history course at Bristol.
Other high achievers were Rosie Kirk with 3As, Maisie Buckley, Luke Frayling and Darren McMullen with 2As and 1B each, and Josie Ellis with 3Bs and 1C.
Overall, Matravers enjoyed a 98% pass rate. Eleven of the eighteen subjects secured a 100% pass rate. A*-C grades were 65% and significantly A* and B grades improved from the previous year’s 37% to 41%.
Headteacher Chris Dark said, “I am pleased that the students have worked so hard. We’re pleased at the number who have got A*s.
“Performance this summer has pretty much matched last year, or been slightly better. A lot of work has gone in from both students and teachers, and from what I’ve heard this morning it looks like most students got the outcome they wanted. A lot hangs on these results; students will have had sleepless nights, especially this year as we’ve heard a number won’t get the university place they want.”
With criticism that exams are getting easier over recent years, Chris Dark said that the nature of A-levels has changed over time. “Certainly they’re more structured, and there’s less chance of winging it,” he said. “The criteria are so explicit and it’s a much more accountable system, pinned down to modules and coursework. There are higher stakes than there were 20 years ago, and so teachers are focused on delivering.”
AS level results were released at the same time as the A2 results, with more good news for students. Rylan Gooch and Philip Roberts both achieved 4As, while Anne Walton obtained 2As and 2Cs.
GCSE results were released on Tuesday 24th August. Matravers School identify a “steady improvement” in their GCSE results over the last five years. 5A*-G grades at 97.3% was the highest ever recorded for Matravers. Another best was 99.5% of students gaining at least 1A* to G. 5A* – C grades at 58% was the second highest in the school’s history, and 5A* to C (including English and maths) at 42% matched the best ever for the school. This represented a 4% improvement on the previous year, although the school says they are disappointed that this falls 2% below the published target of 44%. The 5A*-C grades at 58% represented a 3% drop from the previous summer.
The strongest results for the school were seen in the subject areas of maths, dance, art and design, music, and D&T textiles.
High achievers at Matravers included Emily Arnold (5A*, 5As, 1B), Julie Smith (5A*, 3As, 2Bs and 1C), Steph Hall (5A*, 5A, 1B), Connor Allen (1A*, 7A, 3B), Nicola Bagshaw (1A*, 6A, 4B), Fraser Browning (1A*, 8A, 2B), Lauren Taylor (3A*, 5A, 2B), Abigail Scott (8A, 3B), Alex Down (5A, 5B, 1C) and Chloe Todd (4A*, 6A, 1B).
Steph Hall, celebrating her grades of 5A*, 5A, and 1B saying, “They’re amazing, much better than I expected! There’s some subjects I didn’t get very high in in my mocks, and it was so scary waiting in the queue to get the results.” Steph will be one of the students staying on at sixth form at the school, and is particularly interested in physics.
Chloe Todd was also pleased with her high grades. “They’re so much better than I thought they’d be, I’m really happy!” she said. “I was really nervous, I didn’t want to open them!” She will also stay on at sixth form and hopes to study art at university.
Amongst those picking up their results were students who had taken the first of the new diplomas in Wiltshire. Matravers has been acting as a pilot school for the new creative and media diploma, an applied course that allows students to work on real life problems with support from employers, and so were pleased to see the new qualification reach a “successful conclusion.” Notable outcomes included Hannah Wadey level 2 diploma 3As, 4Bs and 2Cs; Maxine Bates level 1 diploma 3As, 1B and 4Cs; and Kirstie Marshman level 1 diploma 3Bs and 5Cs.
Speaking about all the exam results, headteacher Chris Dark said, “A lot of attention has been given to targeting and helping students, and it seems to have paid off with some results, although there’s still a way to go. Big, big congratulations go to the students. In many cases they have exceeded their expectations, and only a few did less well than hoped.”
