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AS IT HAPPENED: A-level results day in Maidenhead, Windsor and Slough

08:08AM, Thursday 15 August 2024

LIVE: A-level results day in Maidenhead, Windsor and Slough

Head of sixth form Peter Ging with Furze Platt Senior School students

Good morning, 

Students will be finding out today whether months of hard work have paid off as they pick up their A-level results.

We'll be bringing live coverage and photographs from across East Berkshire and South Bucks where pupils will hopefully be jumping for joy after finding out their results.

3.35pm:

At Claires Court school, academic principal James Wilding hailed students’ A-level and BTEC success as ‘excellent’.

In total, 53 per cent of all grades achieved by students were A*-B, 77 per cent were A* to C and 96 per cent were A* to E.

In art, drama, textiles, English literature, Spanish, history and the EPQ, 100 per cent A* to C grades were awarded.

BTEC Sport and ICT students achieved 100 per cent Distinction to Merit grades.

Gary Hope, head of sixth form congratulated the students who have ‘yet again received outstanding results’.

Mr Wilding added: “I am delighted to celebrate their successful conclusion of their school studies.”

2.47pm:

Windsor Forest, the group that runs Berkshire College of Agriculture, Windsor College and Langley College has said its students have ‘excelled’ this year across disciplines.

Special mention goes to Windsor College’s Abdullah, who achieved two A*s and 1 A grade; Imogen, who earned triple D* in Fashion, Interiors, and 3D Design; and Maizie, who also achieved triple D* in Creative Media Practice (a BTEC grade equivalent to an A* at A level).

Bazil from Windsor College will be pursuing Medicine at the University of Southampton.

The school said: “These achievements reflect the hard work and commitment of our students and the support of our dedicated staff.

“We also wish to extend our heartfelt congratulations to students who have secured places at prestigious universities.”

12.46pm:

Holyport College hopes its results show an 'upward trajectory' for its very young sixth form, at only seven years old.

Forty-two per cent all grades were at A*-A and 65 per cent were at A*-B, while 85 per cent of of students have successfully secured their preferred university choices.

Interim head, Adam Bicknell, said:

"Holyport College is thrilled to announce a remarkable set of A-Level results for 2024, showcasing the hard work, determination, and exceptional talent of our students.

"This year's achievements reflect not only the academic prowess of our students but also their readiness to embrace their futures with confidence.

"A special mention must go to Tom and Michael who received individual commendations, from the exam board, for being top performers nationally by achieving full marks in A Level Art and Design.

"In addition to these successes, we are delighted to highlight the success of two students who have secured places in competitive Medicine and Dentistry courses at Sheffield University. Their hard work and dedication have paid off, and we wish them all the best."

12.35pm:

Some more pictures from industrious photographer Ian Longthorne:

Katherine Crawcour, Afia Hussain from Newlands Girls' School

Newlands Girls: Emma Griffiths, Antonia Kinna

Newlands Girls School, Maidenhead

Holyport College (left to right) Shana Zola, Olivia Spanner-Johnson, Thandiwe Kamushinda

Holyport College

Holyport College: Alessandra Francesconi, Margaret Weddell, Chloe Siddons

Desborough College: Aakash Malik and parents

Desborough College: Navneeth Krishnaprasad and parents

Desborough College, Lewis Bosher

Desborough College: Lewis Bosher, Ethan Mew, Principal Andy Murdoch

Desborough College: Ethan Mew, Navneeth Krishnaprasad, Lewis Bosher

12.25pm:

At Burnham Grammar, several students achieved highly at the school with almost 40 per cent receiving A* and A grades.

The results saw students Saffi, Jay, Ashni and Arvin all achieve three A*s.

Meanwhile, pupils Lize and Nirah also received an impressive set of results in three A*s and an A.

Anaiya, who joined the Hogfair Lane school in Year 12 was ‘thrilled’ to receive two A*s and an A.

Other high achievers included Arjan, Stoyan and Arvin who all received three A*s and are planning to do a degree apprenticeship, medicine and dentistry, respectively.

Headteacher Dr Andrew Gillespie, said: “We are delighted with our A level students best ever performance in a normal examination year.  

“In particular, achieving nearly 40 per cent A*/A has ensured that the overwhelming majority of our students secured places at their first choice universities.”

12.22pm:

Independent day and boarding school LVS Ascot is celebrating an overall pass rate of 97.3 per cent - a 'healthy increase' from last year’s 96 per cent.

The top grade achievement has also 'increased significantly' since last year with 17.1 per cent attaining Grades A* or A (it was 14.6 per cent last year).

Max, who achieved an A, two Bs and a Distinction in Maths, Economics, History and Media, is pleased with his results and is excited to start studying Finance at Exeter University.

He said, “The relaxed yet encouraging atmosphere at LVS Ascot has meant I’ve always felt comfortable to ask questions whenever I’ve needed to during my studies. The teachers are fantastic and I’m very thankful for them.”

Fellow student Cait is also delighted with her A-Level results and can’t wait to go to King’s College London to study English Literature in September.

She achieved an outstanding A* and two As in English, Drama and History.

Cait said LVS Ascot was the 'best school that she’s ever been to' and her mother added that Cait 'has really flourished... she has made friends for life and the teachers have been unbelievably supportive.'

The principal, Christine Cunniffe, said: "I am incredibly proud of our students’ outstanding A-Level results, which reflect not only their academic talent but also their resilience.

"We have every confidence that our students will continue to excel in their future endeavours, and I’m delighted to have had the pleasure of seeing these amazing individuals grow into the people they are today.”

11.51am:

Holyport College is celebrating after scooping 40 per cent A*-A grades this year.

Meanwhile, 65 per cent of its grades covered A*-B - and it 'couldn't be prouder.'

11.20am:

11.15am: Burnham Grammar is reporting 40 per cent A*-A grades this year - its 'best ever performance'.

11.10am: Photographer Ian Longthorne captured some of the excitement at Furze Platt this morning...

11.05am:

11.02am:

At Furze Platt Senior School, hundreds of hours of revision helped students overcome the high-pressure challenge of A-level exams.

Head of sixth form Peter Ging said he was elated as students arrived on Thursday morning to pick up their results after two years of studying.

He said: “A-level results day is always one of the most stressful build-ups.

“It’s a high pressure situation for our students but the results have really paid off.”

Pippa Largey, who secured a place at the University of Bristol, said: “I had an app which counts your hours and by the end it was something like 500 hours. It was worth it in the end but it was a lot of work.”

Persistence also paid off for Ollie Marland who secured a spot at the University of Birmingham after re-sitting his exams from last year.

The chemistry student will follow in the footsteps of his father JR and brother Tom who both studied at the university.

Ollie said: “There’s just been a lot of work and I’m glad its finally paid off. My results last year weren’t the best and it was a bit of a knock to my confidence but after this year I’m feeling a lot better and I’m off to university.”

11am:

10.50am:

10.45am: Time for the Desborough College results:

The pass rate rose to 90 per cent over last year’s 83 per cent, 'represent[ing] the significant strides forward the school has made this year,' it says.

Somr standout results include:

Akash Ali who achieved A*, A, A in Chemistry, Biology and Physics and has secured his place to study Medicine at the University of Pavia in Italy. 

Lewis Bosher who successfully achieved an A in Maths and two Bs in Physics and Computer Science and has secured his place on an apprenticeship with Microsoft.

Patrick O’Meara, who achieved A*, A, A in Business Studies, Politics and Geography and has secured his place to study Urban Planning at Loughborough University:

Jasvir Dhaliwal who successfully achieved two As in Maths and Further Maths and B in Physics and has secured his place to study Maths at Kings College, London:

Above: Jas Dhaliwal (Queen Mary); Hamza Bhatti (Reading University); Ben Fitch (Reading); Arjan Momi (Reading University); Henry Moss (Bucks New University).

Above: Luke Canning who has secured his place to study History at UCL.

Andy Murdoch, Principal at Desborough College said:

“We are very proud of our students and the results they have achieved, which are hugely deserved. These results are a true testament to their hard work and the support of our brilliant staff over the last two years.

“I am certain that whatever their next steps are, they will go on to achieve great things and I very much look forward to hearing all about their future successes.”

10.42am: The head of St Joseph's Catholic High School is pleased with the results.

10.40am: An ecstatic Furze Platt student.

10.39am: Cox Green student Mykyta said: “I think I did a really good job. [I’m] kind of upset about my computer science results because I thought I would get a higher grade, but it was enough for me to get into my firm choice, so I’m happy. I’m proud [of myself].”

10.37am:

More from Newlands:

10.34am:

10.31am:

More on Upton: Sixteen students at the school have accepted places to study medicine or dentistry.

Some 'impressive' results include:

Esher Thind, who achieved 4 A* grades and will be studying Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics, Economics (MORSE) at University of Warwick.

Ubaydullah Chaudhry, who achieved 3 A* grades and will be studying Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London.

Lilliam Crawford, who achieved 3 A* grades, has secured her place at University of Leeds to study English and History of Art.

Aaditya Deshpande achieved 3 A*s and a B grade and has accepted a place at University of Bristol to read Mechanical Engineering.

Darren Haddad achieved 3 A* grades and secured a place at University of Birmingham, to study Medicine.

Abishiek Kuganesan achieved 3 A*s and will study Medicine at Imperial College.

Meera Nair achieved 3 A*s and will study English and History at University of Warwick:

Meera Nair (A*A*A*, Warwick, English and History) Headteacher, Oliver King, Esher Thind (A*A*A*A*, Warwick, Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics & Economics).


Jantaj Singh achieved 3 A*s and secured a place at University College London, to read Economics.

Diluxshan Thuvaragan achieved 3 A*s and has accepted a place at Imperial College to read Mathematics.

Diluxshan Thuvaragan (A*A*A*, Imperial College, Mathematics) Headteacher, Oliver King, Zaid Ahsan (A*A*A, King’s College, Dentistry), Vanessa Xu (A*A A, Sheffield, Dentistry).

Ashwin Srikrishna achieved 3A*s and has accepted a place at University of Bristol to study Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

Zainab Khan, who achieved 2 A* and 1 A grade and has accepted a place at University of Cambridge to read History.

Zainab Khan (A*A*A, Cambridge, History) Headteacher, Oliver King.

Oliver King, Headteacher at the school, said:

“All at Upton Court Grammar School are incredibly proud of the hard work, resilience and determination of our students that has led to their success at A’ level today.

"Our Year 13 students have experienced significant disruption to their studies across many years, and despite this, they have achieved excellent results.

"Outcomes like these do not happen by chance: it is the result of our high standards, expert and devoted members of staff, an innovative and ambitious curriculum, hardworking students and supportive families. We are extremely proud of our young people who we have educated to thrive and prepared them for their next step.”

10.20am:

10.15am: 

Results in for Upton. About 62 per cent nabbed an A*-B score and 37 per cent got that coveted A*-A. Last year, 71 per cent got A*-B while 41 per cent were A*-A. More than 170 grades were either A*s or As. 

10.10am:

At Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow, 93.2 per cent of grades were A*-C, while 79 per cent were A*-B and 48 per cent reached A*-A.

The school reports that 90 per cent of students have taken up places at their preferred higher education destination, including four students who will be studying overseas and two who are taking up employer-based degree apprenticeships.

"There was particular success in one household where triplets Matthew, Millie and Ollie achieved nine grades at A* and A between them," the school said.

Performance was 'strong' across STEM subjects, Humanities, Languages and the Arts, the school says.

In a statement, Sir William Borlase's Grammar said:

"At a time when national media is reporting a narrowing of the subjects being taken, it is noteworthy that among the grades were 10 students who studied Music, three students who had studied Dance, nine students who had studied Drama, and 27 who had studied a Modern Foreign Language.

Pupils have 'worked incredibly hard'.

"These grades are a fine reward not only for their effort and determination but also the excellent work by the staff who have taught them and supported them over the last two years,"  Sir William Borlase's Grammar said.

10.05am:

Students excitedly unveiling their results at Wexham School in Slough.

10am:

Some happy shots from Windsor Girls.

9.56am:

Next up, Upton Court Grammar School.

Headteacher Oliver King said: "Despite several years of disruption during the pandemic, students have demonstrated resilience and dedication to their studies. We're delighted students have maintained the very top grades at A-level."

9.50am:

This year, Charters School in Sunningdale, which had 177 A-level students this year, saw 78 per cent A*-C grades, 55.5 per cent A*-B and 25.4 per cent A*-A grades.

This is an improvement from last year, when 75 per cent got A* to Cs and 52 per cent got A*-Bs.

Headteacher John Fletcher said: "We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements this year. Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by this cohort and some individuals, they have shown remarkable determination and adaptability.

"These results are a testament to their hard work and the support provided by our staff. It has been a long road for them as they have navigated through the choices they have had to make for their next steps as well as studying for their examinations.

He said 'the overwhelming majority' of Year 13 students secured the outcomes they needed to take the next steps, with more than 90 per cent continuing their studies at the university of their choice.

Year 13 student Libby, who is going to study Aeronautics and Astronautics with Spacecraft Engineering at Southampton University, said, “It’s all a bit surreal. All those hours of work and it comes down to a few letters on a piece of paper. I’m so relieved and happy with my grades.”

Head of Sixth Form Mrs Kate Hill said, “It has been wonderful to celebrate the successes of our Year 13 students this morning.

"They have worked hard and are to be commended for their results. I wish them every success as they begin the next phase of their journey to becoming future designers, business entrepreneurs, doctors, architects space designers to name but a few. They began writing their future at Charters and are in excellent positions to continue the future they choose. “

9.40am:

Head of The Windsor Boys' sixth form Oliver Woods said:

"The vast majority of students [are] going to their first choice university, which is absolutely amazing.

"We've got lots of students going onto top universities in the country.

"Students across the board [are] getting what they expected to get or better."

9.35:

A hat-trick of great scores for Harry from The Windsor Boys' School. Congratulations!

9.20:

Next up, results from Herschel Grammar School. This year, the school got 87 per cent A*-C grades, 68 per cent A*-B grades and 87 per cent A*-C grades.

In a statement, the school said:

"We are delighted to be celebrating excellent A Level results again this summer. The hard work and dedication of both students and staff have truly paid off, and almost all will now be heading to their first-choice universities, apprenticeships, and other exciting future opportunities. We are incredibly proud of the students. They have bright futures ahead of them."

9.10am:

Waiting with bated breath to see how Newlands Girls' School fared...

9am:

Some words from Furze Platt students and teachers. Head of sixth form Peter Ging explained the stressors on young pupils in the world today:

"We've got over 30 courses... so we've got a lot of students who are experiencing pressure in a lot of different ways," he said.

"[Some students' exams] are three and three-quarter hours, if they've got extra time.

"One of my students repeated Year 13 - so he's done three years of it [instead of two], and now he's got into Birmingham, he's smashed his results.

"It's a high pressure situation but the results pay off for our students - they're really fantastic."

8.50am:

Some early birds picking up their envelopes at Herschel Grammar.

8.35am:

The first set of results have landed in our inboxes this morning.

Altwood Church of England School in Maidenhead reports that 73 per cent of its awarded grades this year were A*-C. This is very similar to last year (74 per cent).

About 38 per cent of students achieved A*-A grades - quite an improvement from last year, which was 29 per cent.

Headteacher, Neil Dimbleby, said: “We are very proud of our students and join with them in celebrating their success.  We are delighted that such a significant number of our young people have successfully gained a university place, apprenticeship, or work placement of their choice.

Massive thanks and congratulations are due to the parents, carers and staff who have guided and supported our students throughout this important phase, and we wish all students the very best as they now move onto new challenges.”

8.05am:

So it begins - our reporting team is out at schools as we speak, while nervous and excited students start to gather.

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