Grey skies could not dampen spirits at Bolton School this A Level Results Day! There were celebrations in both the Boys’ and Girls’ Division Great Halls as Year 13 returned to collect their A Level grades.
One quarter came away with all A* or A grades, and two thirds of students received the grades of A*, A or B needed for the best universities. The pass rate was 99%.
Philip Britton, Bolton School’s Head of Foundation, said:
‘As always, today is a really proud moment for pupils, parents and the School as the next generation of pupils leaves ready to make a difference to the world. Part of that is the wonderful grades they have today, which represent their hard work and the guidance and nurturing of my colleagues. Whether top A* grades or a well-earned C grade, they are all an achievement today. Students take away much more than that from their time at school and it is this that makes the real difference. We say farewell to a really decent group of young adults: they are kind and thoughtful, they have shown resilience through the Covid years; there are tremendous actors and activists, great athletes in a whole range of sports, volunteers, musicians and much more. I wish them all well.
‘We measure ourselves by value added in results and that will be the story in January after the Department for Education publishes that analysis. Our results are and should be the best in Bolton, but I am far more focused on us adding value and in past years we have done that extraordinarily well across all grades.
‘We don’t ever stand still. Our Foundation objective next year is around teaching and learning, consolidating the best of what we know works, adding innovation and variety, embracing AI where it is useful and respecting educational research. Our Centre of Educational research and innovation, now three years old, will drive that in school and hopefully beyond in partnership with other schools in the borough.’
As noted by Mr Britton, the cohort includes students with a wide range of interests and achievements alongside and beyond the academic. Here is just a small selection of their stories:
Last week, Kesh Fonseka debuted for Lancashire, and was in fact playing for the county the day before he received his A Level results, which include one A grade. Speaking about his plans for the future, he said, ‘I want to continue playing for Lancashire and go as far as I can. My goal is one day to play for England. I want to have as long a career in cricket as possible, though having a backup is important and that’s why I worked hard for my A Levels.’
Harriet Dickens is heading to the US on a water polo scholarship at the University of Michigan. During her final year at Bolton School, in addition to playing for both the Girls’ Division U18 team and the City of Manchester, she has captained Great Britain’s U19 national water polo team. Speaking about playing sport alongside her studies, she said, ‘It’s been tough to balance, but Bolton School has supported me through it.’
David Chow, who received one A* and two A grades, is excited to start a four-year course in Animation at Gobelins, Paris: the world’s leading school for animation. He said, ‘It’s my dream school. The stuff other students have gone on to do is amazing. I’m really thankful to my teachers: I was quite worried, but I’m very happy with my results today.’
Elliot Rigby, who starred as Seymour in the Joint Production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ this year, received a set of four A* grades. Elliot goes on to the University of Leeds to study Drama and said: ‘I’m really, really excited as it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.’
Bill Burrows was delighted with his results: three A* grades and one B grade. He is looking forward to studying English Literature at the University of Manchester, particularly joining societies and getting involved with student drama. Bill spoke about balancing his passion for theatre, including playing Nick Carraway in last year’s Joint Production of ‘The Great Gatsby’, with his A Levels: ‘It was stressful at times, but it was so good to have that opportunity to do something you love. It was really useful as well, because we studied ‘The Great Gatsby’ for A Level and I was learning quotes from the book for the production!’
Naima Aden achieved two A* and three A grades and is going on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at University College, Oxford. She was inspired to take this path in the Sixth Form, after hearing from former Bolton School pupils who studied at Oxford: she said, ‘That solidified it and made it possible.’
Ben Rimmer is heading off to study French and Russian at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge after receiving three A* grades. He said, ‘I’m very excited about everything, really: being in that environment, meeting new people, getting involved in all of the societies. I really love French and Russian, ever since I started learning these languages in Years 7 and 8, and I wanted to do something I like at university.’
Uma Patel achieved four A* grades and is heading to Birmingham Medical School in September, following her dream of becoming a doctor. Earlier this year, she earned a Gold Certificate in the national Chemistry Olympiad.
Ila Stephenson earned three A*s and an A grade and is excited to go on to study English and Philosophy at the University of Leeds. She said that she has always loved English Literature since she was really little, while philosophy is something she enjoyed at A Level. She is particularly looking forward to joining societies and exploring the music scene.
Dylan Lincoln was very pleased with his set of results: three A*s and one B grade. He is going on to study Law at the University of Manchester: something he has wanted to do since he was in Year 9. He said that he is glad he’s not going far from home, and is looking forward to gigs in the city. Music is one of Dylan’s hobbies, which he described as an outlet that he plans to continue with during his time at university. He was named Most Promising Performer at the Boys’ Division’s Young Musician of the Year competition 2024.
A Level Results Day Gallery:
Girls' Division:
Boys' Division:
