On Thursday we celebrated our Sixth Form students receiving their A Level results. We are delighted with their efforts and exceptional resilience during these extraordinary times. We are extremely proud of the results they have achieved, and how they will be entering courses as diverse as Law, Filmmaking, Physiotherapy and Civil Engineering, at universities such as Bath, Bristol, Oxford and Warwick.
Updated 18.8.20
For many and obvious reasons outside of the School’s control, there has not been a celebratory mood surrounding A Level results this year. The pandemic, with us since February, and resulting in the cancellation of public exams, has robbed Upper Sixth Leavers nationally of this ‘rite of passage’, with uncertainty further exacerbated by news regarding Scottish Highers, and late changes bringing mock results into the appeals process.
This anxiety made it even more important to see and talk to our Leavers in person, socially distanced, on Results Day, and to calmly navigate together through the results process, potential appeals, and confirming next steps in further education or the world of work. We remain exceptionally proud of our cohort of 2020 Leavers, who have handled the disruption of the last few months with maturity and resilience and who have continued to drive their learning and wider skills development through the School’s extensive remote learning programme . They now become Old Birkonians, and join the global OB network, which plays such a pivotal role in both supporting recent leavers and assisting their old School to thrive.
Quoting exam grade statistics can be flawed during the most ‘normal’ of academic years, but especially so this year following the Government’s U-turn announcement on the 17th August that students’ final grades would be the higher of their Centre Assessed Grades and the algorithm’s calculated grades. So our pride this year is even more focused than usual on the achievements of each individual, the journeys they have travelled, obstacles overcome and the doors that these results now open to an exciting future.
The leaving cohort of students have contributed a rich variety of academic, sporting and creative talents to the community, and will now enter courses as diverse as Law, Filmmaking, Physiotherapy and Civil Engineering: over three-quarters will be attending their university of first choice. Four students achieved A*s in all their exams, of whom two go on to study Biochemistry and Medicine at Oxford. In all, a third of students achieved all A* and A grades across all their subjects and now leave to take up places at universities such as Bath, Bristol, Imperial and Warwick. The Futures Team, who continue to organise and host industry specific conferences for students across the Wirral, have also guided a number of students to achieve prestigious local and national apprenticeships this year, amongst them, a great opportunity at the BBC.
We look forward to the GCSE results on Thursday 20th August, and, further ahead, welcoming all students back to School on Thursday 3rd September. Despite changes necessitated by Government guidance, we remain excited about delivering our broad and balanced academic and wider curriculum, including further investment in our co-curricular clubs and activities programme so important in developing the core values, passions and personalities of our students. Anyone interested in visiting the School to enquire about potential admission, and the bursaries available, should contact seniorsadmissions@birkenheadschool.co.uk or Julie Hopper on 0151 651 3009.
During the Michaelmas term we will be hosting Virtual Open Events during which you can:
- Hear from our Senior Leadership Team, Heads of Department and current students
- Take part in live webinars and Zoom calls with staff
Click here to register your interest.