I suspect that the 18 year-olds who received their A level results this morning just want to be viewed as a normal group of youngsters, after over two years of strangeness. Covid derailed their GCSE session in a very complicated way, and they have probably been the most disrupted of all over the past three years as successive waves of infection spread through the population. They have endured lock downs, online learning and mass testing and their broader education has been a constant battle against adversity. Their A level courses have been anything but normal…and of course huge thanks is due to everyone who has supported them through some difficult times.
All of which makes this morning’s sparkling results even more pleasing to see. Our biggest ever year group can be very proud of what they have achieved; at 81% A*-B the headline figure is barely changed from last summer (when teacher assessments were given in place of exams) and this represents very significant progress on our last set of A levels stats in summer 2019. The most important thing of all is that the vast majority of Bishop’s girls and boys have got what they need for their destinations – places at prestigious universities across the UK.
In a tweet on Leavers’ Day for Year 13 I described our first co-ed sixth form group as ‘pioneers, trail blazers, ambassadors and role models’. They are all of that and much more, as they have done so much to enrich life here at the very heart of Salisbury both in and beyond lessons. We have been privileged to have had the company of such an impressive group of young men and women, and I wish them all the luck in the world as they take their next steps beyond school.
SDS
