STUDENTS in Bicester are celebrating some of the best ever A level results in the town.
After disruption caused by lockdowns, remote learning and class closures, it was time to reflect on impressive grades.
At The Cooper School, 33 per cent of the 94-strong class of 2022 achieved A*-A, with 82 per cent A*-C.
Henry Brookes, Sean Lock and Adriana Salas all achieved straight A* grades.
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Callum Hewett also achieved a set of straight A*s and will study law at the University of Oxford.
He said: “I am extremely grateful to my teachers and the school as a whole for providing the best experience possible and preparing me for my future.
“My teachers and classmates went above and beyond to help me and I will always cherish my memories of our lessons.”
Rob Whannel, headteacher at The Cooper School, said: “We are very proud of this cohort of students.
“They have demonstrated incredible resolve and determination during these challenging years of education, where there has been so much uncertainty and change.
“This year group has impressed us by how well they displayed independence and initiative whilst also maintaining their sense of academic curiosity and enthusiasm; the skills that these students have developed will serve them well in whatever the future may hold.”
Jen Post, head of post-16, added: “We are extremely delighted with these results, particularly the high percentage of students who achieved the grades needed to take their next steps.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better year group to work with during my first year in this post as they have been a pleasure to work with and have been fantastic role models for other students in the school.
“They have coped with the many challenges of education presented by the impact of the Covid epidemic and they have taken it all in their stride which speaks volumes about their character, resilience and determination to succeed.”
At The Bicester School, there was a 100 per cent pass rate in all A level and BTEC subjects, with the average A level grade a B.
The school’s head of sixth, Gareth Allum, said: “The last two years have been extremely unsettling, it’s been important for us to provide that individual support that’s been needed.
“Academically this has been a really strong year group, bearing in mind this is a year group that didn’t do GCSE exams.
“There’s been a big focus on our teachers and it’s been important that we have constant contact to ensure we know where students were at.
“There’s been a level of pressure to be far more than teachers, teaching had to carry on but we had to deal with all sorts of stuff on top of it.”
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice
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