STUDENTS and staff at Callington Community College celebrated A-level results day last Thursday (August 17) as students secured their places at their chosen universities.

The cohort were all smiles after a successful year of results achieved despite severe disruption to their learning due to the pandemic.

Wendy Ainsworth said she was “so incredibly proud” of the students.

Wendy congratulated the students who arrived at the college to collect their results and wished them well in their next ventures.

Wendy said: “For our students in Post 16, this year represented the first formal examinations since their SATs for the majority of students. They of course did not have GCSE examinations in their Year 11 due to the pandemic, and they therefore had to be extremely brave and resilient walking into their examinations.

“It is perhaps no surprise that we saw demonstrations of heightened anxiety in this year’s cohort

“Whilst we are proud and delighted for every cohort that goes through the college, this year’s cohort will always occupy a special space in our hearts and we are particularly proud of their accomplishments, given all the conditions of the last two years.

“We are rightly proud of every single student in our cohort, who have demonstrated great tenacity over the last seven years, and the last three years in particular, which in turn has yielded fabulous results for them. There are students who have made phenomenal progress, gaining an average of a Grade A or equivalent across their A-levels or earning significant value added on their progress from Year 11.”

Of particular mention were; Kerenza Selman who earned 3 A grades in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and will now study Medicine at Queen Mary in London. Poppy Hearne with A* in Psychology and A grades in Biology and Chemistry will study Biomedical Science at York University.

Dylan Rundle who completed triple Health and Social Care, gaining double Distinction and Merit, as well as securing double Distinction in Sports Studies and a B in Photography will commence his training to be a Primary teacher at Plymouth Marjons. Congratulations also go to the following students who secured grades at B and above across all subjects: Lauren Hocking (with As in Biology and Chemistry), Alex Long (A in Biology), Poppy Read (A* in English Literature) and Arran Stannard Heap.

The college was especially pleased with outcomes in Biology and Criminology, both of which had more than 50 per cent of students gaining A/A* grades.

Art and Design, History and Physics have all performed well also, with positive value added across their cohorts. Mrs Kirby (head of post 16) commented that she was pleased that students were able to access their chosen pathways, following their outcomes. James Dawe will be going to Liverpool University to study Sport, after gaining Double Distinction in L3 Sport.

Mrs Kirby said: “I am really proud of their successes and delighted for them. They are all off to some brilliant institutions and it’s so rewarding to see their hard work and determination pay off.

“Whilst we are truly delighted at the grades they have achieved, we are particularly pleased that they have being so successful in accessing their first choice university.”