‘Delight’ as Peterlee students achieve ‘exceptional’ A level results after a tough year

Byron Sixth Form College students have been celebrating their A level results this morning as they look ahead to a bright future after overcoming a challenging year and half.

Twenty-two per cent of students achieved three A* or A grades or equivalents this year, while 83% of students achieved at least one grade A or equivalent, which is 38% above this year’s national average benchmark.

Acting head of school Frances Cessford has described the results as “exceptional” and has praised students for their resilience.

She said: “This year’s results are exceptional and we are delighted that the talent, hard work and dedication of our students and staff has been rewarded."

Mrs Cessford added: “I think this year all our students have had to overcome adversity, the fact that we were in lockdown.

"We are just delighted. That’s the only word I can use to describe how the staff and how the students are feeling today.

“We’ve had the toughest couple of years in education that anybody has ever known and for the students to be so resilient and to come through it has been absolutely amazing.

"At the end of the day, when the chips have been down, when they’ve had everything thrown at them, they’ve just produced amazing results. They are using their wings and they are flying.”

Ninety-four per cent of Byron students were accepted by their first-choice universities, with Emily Jubb achieving three A*s.

Mrs Cessford said: “She’s done amazingly well. She’s going to Durham to read English literature, which is has been her dream all the way through since she was in Year 7. She was just over the moon this morning.”

Georgia Temple is taking her place at UCL to study Spanish and the history of art with grades of A*, A* and A while Kayla Tomlinson will be studying English Literature at Royal Holloway College in London after achieving A* and two As.

Other universities which students will be heading to this autumn include Lancaster, Liverpool, York, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow and Leeds.