Throughout A-Level Results Day, the Thinking Schools Academy Trust will be bringing you the latest updates, success stories, and celebrations from across our schools. Stay tuned as we share real-time highlights, interviews, and insights from our students, staff, and families on this important day.
Blog edited by: Samuel Poole
Regional communications updates by: Samantha Rees (South East) & Lee Amor (South West)
Coverage led by: Thinking Creative
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That’s it for today’s live updates on A-level results day. We hope you found the coverage helpful and enjoyed celebrating all the achievements across our schools. A massive congratulations to everyone who received their results today—your hard work has paid off. We’ll be back on Thursday, 22nd August, to bring you all the latest updates for GCSE results day. Make sure to follow our socials and live blog then for more stories, reactions, and celebrations from students, teachers, and families.
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John Russell, Headmaster at Colchester Royal Grammar School, said: "The 2024 cohort are another outstanding group of students, who should be praised for their efforts and mature approach. We are delighted with the excellent A level results that they have achieved, results which rank highly in the school’s academic history; we are very proud of them all.
"Many students achieved 3 or 4 grades at A*A, with a number achieving all A* grades. In turn, this has facilitated successful applications, with many going to top universities in the UK and abroad, but also an increasing number going on to degree apprenticeships in a variety of interesting careers, such as finance and engineering.
"These results are a real team effort. Once again, our staff have committed much time to support our students and to offer enrichment well beyond the academic curriculum, developing true intellectual curiosity that flourishes through our very broad curriculum - with exceptional results in the classics, music, art, physical education and a range of modern languages, alongside our other A level subjects."
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As students and staff came together at Holcombe Grammar School this morning for their A-Level results, there was a strong sence of community across the school. The students have worked tirelessly and together over the last couple of years to achieve their results today and are off to positive ventures. Well done and congratulations to everyone at Holcombe.
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It's brilliant to see so much positive press for all our schools across the Thinking Schools Academy Trust this A-Level results day. Plymouth Live's coverage can be seen here, which includes an update on results from both Plympton Academy and Plymouth High School for Girls.
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Simon Underdown, Headteacher at Plymouth High School said: “We are so proud of what our students have achieved in our school’s 150th year. They have been rewarded for their exceptional motivation, determination, and resilience throughout the course of their studies.
“I also want to express my gratitude to our wonderful school staff who have worked so hard to help our young people prepare for their examinations. My thanks also to our students’ parents who play an invaluable role in supporting their children to achieve their very best.
“Each year our students move onto a range of exciting challenges and whether it be university, further education, apprenticeships, employment or a gap year, we have every confidence they will achieve remarkable success embracing our motto, ‘for life not school we learn’.”
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A Level outcomes continued to excel at the high school with over half of all grades at A* to B, 78% of all grades at A* to C and the school achieved a 98% overall pass rate. Teachers expressed their well wishes for students who now go on to start the next stage of their life journey.
Plymouth High saw particular success in subjects including German, Politics and Media where 100% of all grades were A* to C and in English Literature, Art and Core Mathematics where more than 65% of all grades were at B or above.
Whilst Plymouth High are proud of all their students, there are some standout individual achievements. These include:
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While all students have done well at The Victory Academy, there are some standout individual achievements. These include:
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Mark Eager, Principal at Brixham College, said: “Congratulations to each student for their examination results received today. Many of our students have shown incredible resilience over the past two years and we are all immensely proud of their achievements. I am confident they will continue to achieve great things in the future.
"I would also acknowledge the hard work of staff at the College and for the support given by parents and guardians especially for the cakes and souvenirs provided by one of the head students and her family. Our students have benefitted from a real team effort.”
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Isobel Bowden, from Brixham College, achieved a B in Art and Design, a C in Business Studies, and a C in Sociology. She is off to study Marketing at UWE Bristol. She said: “I am so relieved that all the hard work has paid off. Many thanks to all the staff in the Sixth Form.”
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It's fantastic to see Goodwin Academy, alongside other schools from across Kent, have been featured in the Kent Online results day blog here. Congratulations to all the students from across the county and UK for their good work and results.
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At The Victory Academy, this year’s Academy Captain, Amon-Ra Meseorisa, has received a Basketball scholarship at an Academy in Spain. Congratulations and well done Amon-Ra. We look forward to following your sporting success.
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Philip Jones, Headteacher at Goodwin Academy said: “We are incredibly proud of our students; these results are a testament to their hard work and determination. These achievements mark an important milestone as they move on to the next exciting steps in their lives, whether that be university, apprenticeships, or entering the workforce. We wish them every success in their future endeavours and are confident that they will continue to thrive and make us proud.”
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Anubhav Dangal from Plympton Academy, who achieved A* in Maths, B in Further Maths, B in Physics and C in Computer Science, is now going to university to study Computer Science. He said: "I feel good today, we put in so much effort, and it is great to see that they paid off. I am so pleased because I also got the international excellence scholarship which supports with 50% of my university fees.”
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This year, students at the The Victory Academy have excelled, achieving impressive results following two years of dedication to their studies. Many students are now preparing to head on to university, apprenticeships or jobs of their choice. The school is delighted that through the hard work of both students and staff, there has been a continued improvement in student outcomes leading to increased uptake in all subjects. We look forward to opening our purpose built Sixth Form block in September 2025. The Academy saw particular success in subjects including English, Maths, performing arts and sport along with many more.
Olly Owen, Headteacher at The Victory Academy said: “I am incredibly proud of our students as they receive their results today. It has been a pleasure to work alongside them and witness their incredible hard work and determination over the course of the last two years. Congratulations to all of our students for what they have achieved. These achievements have not taken place in isolation. I must extend a huge thank you to our talented and dedicated staff team who have worked skilfully and tirelessly both inside and outside the classroom to enable the students to succeed. I also extend a warm thank you to friends and families who have played such an important, supportive role alongside the students. We are excited to see the impressive array of next steps, from top universities to competitive apprenticeships and full-time jobs. These students act to serve as a reminder of our purpose as a school to enable all students to achieve their best.”
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Rochester Grammar School is in the news! Its sixth-form students are celebrating another year of outstanding International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) results. In this curriculum, students are graded out of 7 in three higher subjects and three standard subjects across a range of disciplines. See Kent Live's coverage here.
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Josh, who gained Distinction in Dance and Double Distinction in Performing Arts is off to study Performing Arts at Mountview, one of the UK’s leading drama schools. He says: “I can’t believe today, I feel like anything is possible. At Plympton Academy, no dream is too big and no star is too far.”
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And following on from our previous update about the preparation that goes into making results days across our schools a huge success, let's take a moment to show off this amazing balloon arch for sixth form students at Plympton Academy in Plymouth.
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As our communications team gather the facts and prepare their key A-level updates from our schools to share right here on our blog, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the staff from our schools in Devon, Hampshire, Kent and Essex for the work they do to prepare for results days. It can be quite a stressful responsibility to get right, but concludes with huge joy and celebration. Here's the team at The Victory Academy in Kent coming together for a shot in the sunshine.
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Students at Plympton have been working hard over the course of their sixth form studies and have achieved a good set of grades with the Academy performing particularly well in areas such as Music, Health and Social Care, Performing Arts, Photography and Chemistry. The Academy’s Applied General Qualifications also compared favourably against national expectations. Many students are now preparing to head on to the university, apprenticeship or job of their choice.
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The atmosphere is buzzing at Plymough High School for Girls. Their Sixth Form students - which is open to boys and girls - are pleased with their results and look forward to the next steps in their education. We will bring you key results and reaction from the school soon.
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Samantha Rees, our South East communications lead, is on the ground at Holcombe Grammar School this morning. Throughout the day, she will be speaking to our schools across the county and we will be sharing results and reaction right here.
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Our South West communications lead, Lee Amor, has arrived at Plymouth High School for Girls to capture their A-Level results. She will be speaking to students and staff throughout the morning for reaction to their A-Level results, which we will bring you right here. Then up next, she will be visiting Plympton Academy to do it all again.
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Good morning from the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, where schools from across our regions will soon open for students to collect their A-Level results. Throughout today, we will be bringing you pictures and reaction from across our schools right here. Good luck to everyone collecting their results.