Excitement and relief at Outwood Academy Newbold as Sixth Form students collect their A-Level results

Outwood Academy Newbold was buzzing with pupils from 9am, some anxiously awaiting their grades and others grinning from ear to ear after receiving theirs.

This year, 100 per cent of the school’s pupils who studied Business achieved a Distinction and 83 per cent achieved a Distinction-Star, while 80 per cent who took Fine Art got at least a Grade A.

Head of School, Rob Southern, said he was ‘delighted’ as he praised the students for their hard work and dedication.

He said: “I am incredibly proud of the students, the determination that they have shown over the last year or so has been nothing short of inspirational. Despite everything that has been happening in the world, they have continued to engage with their studies and I am so happy that we can now enjoy their successes as an academy community.

"We will always be here supporting them and we are excited to see what they achieve in the future.”

One of the standout student success stories was Zane Cornelius who achieved four A*s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and will now go on to read Mathematics at Durham University.

LIVE: A-Level results day 2021 as students across Derbyshire find out their grades

Speaking of his results, he said: “It is very weird seeing it actually written down, two years work has led to this point. I am overwhelmed, it is a bit hard to describe really. I am now looking forward to university and the next step in life.”

Elise Collins, who achieved a Distinction-Star in Sport, a Grade A in Psychology and a Grade B in Biology, said she was ‘chuffed’ with her results.

She said: “I have had such an amazing journey at Outwood Academy Newbold.

"The staff and students are incredible and the atmosphere is always positive. We have all overcome so much and I’m so glad that we all got to celebrate our successes together - I’m so happy with the grades I achieved.

"I’ve worked really hard over the past two school years and it has paid off in the end.”

Jack Jolley, who was student president, achieved an Grade A* in Physics, a Grade A in Maths and a Grade B in Further Maths.

He said: “It was actually more than expected, I came in today thinking I’d just get an A’s and B’s but it’s nice to get that A*. I found out I was going to university 30 minutes before I came in [to school] so I was already on a pretty good high and the results have just made me even happier.”

Exams were abandonded for the second year running this year, with results instead being determined through teacher-assessed grades (TAGS) overseen by the exams regulator Ofqual.

In total, 44.8 per cent of UK entries to a subject were awarded an A or A* grade this summer - up by 6.3 per cent from 2020 when 38.5 per cent achieved it - and one in five of all results was an A* this year.

It means that the number of top grades handed out has almost doubled in the two years since students last sat exams in 2019, when 25.2 per cent got an A or an A*.

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