Ark sixth form students and staff were celebrating A level results across the network this morning. In Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth, our schools opened their doors to welcome students eager to find out whether they had made it into their chosen university or apprenticeship course.
Here's just a handful of the great stories from across our sixth forms.
Hussain Khalil and Nuseyba Abdiduh
Hussain and Nuseyba are both students at Ark St Alban's Academy in Birmingham. Hussain was awarded a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business Studies achieving two Distinction* and one Distinction and has secured his place to read accounting and finance at the University of Birmingham. Hussain said, "I’m really pleased, the school has helped me to get these great results. The support and structure of the school as well as the extra classes the staff put on really made a difference."
Nuseyba was awarded a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Applied Science achieving two Distinction* and one Distinction and has secured her university place to read English and creative writing at Coventry University. She remarked, "Even before I received my results, the school helped me have unyielding faith in myself, I was given continuous support that I think I'd be hard pressed finding elsewhere. It’s this belief that the school had in me that made me trust I would get the best possible grades. And I did! I’m excited to start my next journey."
Jessica Pereira Rodrigues
Jessica achieved an A* in Spanish, an A* in Portuguese, an A in chemistry, an A in biology and a B in mathematics. She will be the first student from Ark Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton, South London, to study medicine – and will be attending Queen Mary University. Jessica has always been one of the school's hardest working students.
She says, "I feel so relieved! I was so nervous, I had no plan B. I’m so excited for all the new experiences in September. My teachers have been really supportive, it felt like we were all in this together."
Thaer Saada
Thaer, a student at King Solomon Academy in Westminster, received A*A*A grades and is going to the University of Durham to study engineering. He has been awarded a Reuben Scholarship bursary to support him in his studies.
“I’m speechless, I didn’t expect to get these results. I’ve put in the work and I’m very proud. I’ve been revising so much – staying at school after the teachers have left every day. It was my teachers who helped me to choose Durham. They opened my mind and told me to relish this new experience. Maybe I’m a role model for education in my family now.
You come to King Solomon Academy and you’re going to get good grades – that’s a given. The thing that sets the school apart is it gives you character.”
Yasir Yusuf
Yasir, who studied at Ark 6th Form East Sussex, got two A*s in history and RE, an A in economics and an A in maths and will be going to the University of Warwick to study politics, philosophy and economics. He said: “I’ve been really nervous and anxious for the whole week. On opening my results I was over the moon. I’m really shocked I’ve done so well and it still hasn’t sunk in. I’m so happy. I couldn’t have done it without my teachers, friends and family.”
Minali Alwis
Minali is Head Girl at Ark Academy in Wembley, North-West London. She achieved three As in geography, economics and religious studies and will be studying geography at Kings College, Cambridge.
She says, “I moved to England with my mum ten years ago from Sri Lanka and I didn’t speak English. My mum is a single parent and a nurse in the NHS and has really inspired me. At Ark I feel the teachers were always giving me new challenges that were outside my comfort zone.
Ideally, what I’d like to do is teach and travel to different countries. I want to invest in students and make the biggest change I can for them. I sometimes get stressed at school, but the teachers here at Ark would always take time to talk to me and help me out and I want to do that for someone else as a teacher."
Congratulations to all our students and teachers for a great set of results this year.
See our Twitter Moment from the day below: