Hartlepool's Dyke House Academy is 'extremely proud' of A-level students

Many of the sixth form pupils at Dyke House Academy, Hartlepool, had never sat a public exam before as their GCSE papers were cancelled two years ago following the onset of the pandemic.

The academy is part of the Northern Education Trust, which reported that the majority of its sixth form students across three academies had achieved the required grades for their first-choice university.

Among the jubilant candidates at Dyke House is Jessica Yong.

She achieved what the trust described as a “magnificent” 4 A*s and 1 A and is going on to study medicine at Cambridge University.

She said: “I am speechless with my results.

"They are beyond what I expected to achieve.

"I am really excited to study anatomy as part of my course and cannot wait to build new friendships with those who also have an interest in medicine.”

The academy achieved 100% A*-C grades in English language, 100% A*-B grades in English literature, 100% A*-B grades in health and social care, 100% A grades in further maths, 100% A-C grades in business and 100% A-C grades in politics.

Trust chief executive Rob Tarn said: “We are extremely pleased with the A-level results this year, which overall show a continual improvement in outcomes for our students, ensuring they are well equipped to progress to the next stage of their lives.

"These young people have endured a tumultuous few years in their academic journey, and we must remember that they have never sat public examinations before, having been due to take their GCSEs in 2020, which were

cancelled due to the pandemic.

"To achieve these results against this background is testament to their hard work and commitment and we are immensely proud of them.

"I am very grateful to our dedicated staff for their relentless focus on ensuring these young people were not disadvantaged by the disruption caused by the pandemic, and I know they join me in wishing them every success for their future.”

Students had some good advice for Year 11 pupils moving up to sixth form in September.

This includes working hard, keeping calm, revising early and balancing studies with a social life.