2020 A Level Results at Heathfield Community College
The annual excitement around exam results days in schools has never included anything like the attention focused on young people and schools this year. Students today collected their results in circumstances unknown to any previous generation.
Most students had completed the bulk of their studies by the time lockdown started on 23rd March but continued to finish content and fine tune their skills remotely with the support of their teachers. College staff worked collectively to agree Centre Assessed Grades and Rank orders which were submitted to the exam boards in June. Since then a standardisation process has been applied to endeavor to ensure fairness and equity across the country. The impact of this process compared to the national picture is still being analysed both for individuals as well as a Centre but we know that almost all of the student grades awarded fall within the tolerances of within a grade quoted by Ofqual; their message to students and parents can be seen here: Ofqual message
Staff will be working extremely hard over the coming days to ensure students who wish to change their intentions are supported to do so with expert careers advice and support. Equally where the national process of awarding grades may have suppressed an outcome for students, staff are well placed to discuss the options available to them as outlined in the recent announcements by Ofqual and the DfE. We will be proactive in approaching students where we feel that making an appeal of this nature would be in their interest.
The most important aspect is that young people are given the support they need to progress to their next steps. No students previously will have encountered circumstances like these. The validity of our examination and qualification system has always been built on public confidence and equity; like many schools, we will willingly take part in any steps that take us closer to ensuring fairness for the cohort of 2020 who have experienced unprecedented challenges in the last year.
At Heathfield the process of ensuring all students are able to take their next steps has been in full swing with the vast majority of students securing the grades they need to be able to progress to a destination of their choice. A selection of university courses that our students have successfully secured include:
- Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford
- Politics and International Relations, Midwifery at the University of Nottingham
- Medicine at Kent and Medway Medical School
- Italian and Spanish at University of Edinburgh
- Law, Biological Sciences at University of Exeter
- Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth University
- Mathematics at Loughborough University
- Automotive Engineering at Coventry University
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Chester
- Computer Systems Engineering at the University of Kent
- Modern languages at the University of Bath
- Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Leeds
- Degree Apprenticeship in Digital and Technology Solutions with JP Morgan and Exeter University
- Anthropology at University of Bristol
- Veterinary Nursing at the Royal Veterinary College London
- Computer Science, Archaeology and Anthropology at University of Southampton
- Chemistry (with industrial experience), Biology at University of Bristol
A number of students are successfully progressing onto alternative highly competitive courses or employment including:
- Osteopathy at the London College of Osteopathy
- Degree Apprenticeship in Construction Management with Brighton University
- Professional Policing Course, Canterbury
- Apprenticeship in Marketing
- Training to be a Gym Instructor
- Employment with Proxy Insight, a leading company managing information on global shareholder voting
We also continue to support a number of talented students into Art Foundation courses at local Colleges which enable them to develop skills and build portfolios for future steps in Creative industries.
Additionally, from the class of 2019, who completed their exams last year and spent time volunteering, working or travelling, a number of previous students have now gained places at University of Oxford, University of Leeds, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Surrey, University of Reading, University of Liverpool, University of Bristol, University of Sheffield and other Universities. Students will be studying courses ranging from English Language and Literature to Physiological Science.
Director of Sixth Form, Paul Evason said “We are pleased to have secured the onward destinations for our students that will allow them to fulfil their future ambitions and potential. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with this cohort of students for the last two years and very much appreciate the support and communication from their parents and families.”
Headteacher Caroline Barlow said, “We are incredibly proud of our students and there is much to celebrate about what they have achieved based on how hard they have worked over the last 2 years, let alone the last few months. They have been true to their aspirations, resilient and determined. Now more than ever, our young people need us to put them first and foremost in the discussion about how to best resolve the challenges brought about by the pandemic and ensure that they are supported to continue with their ambitions.”