Another Successful Year for Milton Keynes A Level Students

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Aug 2006

Local students and schools are celebrating following success in A-level exam results.

For the eighth year running the A-level pass rate in Milton Keynes has improved and this year the quality of students' passes has shown improvement.

The hard work and determination of students, together with excellent teaching from dedicated and professional teachers, have ensured that young people across Milton Keynes are being given the very best opportunities to progress to the next stage of their careers and, for a large number, to move on to higher education at their chosen university.

Record results were achieved at Denbigh for the third consecutive year, with 70% of students achieved the top grades at A-level. There were a number of outstanding individual performances, with 12 students scoring over 400 UCAS points. Excellent results were achieved in mathematics, psychology, German, French, design and art.

At Leon School and Sports College, all nine of the Soccer Academy students passed their BTEC National Diploma in Sports and Football Coaching. This was the first cohort to study this course. Some of the students will be going to university to study Sports Management, others are currently working in the USA coaching youngsters or are working full time as soccer coaches for football clubs.

At Lord Grey, a 100% pass rate was secured in a spread of 20 subjects, including English, mathematics, French, Italian, Spanish, geography, history, chemistry and biology. Several students achieved impressive grades, many above expectations.

Ousedale's students achieved a pass rate of over 98% and a 4% increase of grades at A to C. Eight Ousedale students gained 4 or more grade As.

This year's A-level results at Radcliffe showed steady improvement on previous years, with some excellent individual performances, including the school's first ever student to take up a course in medicine at Manchester University and another who is going to Peterhouse College, Cambridge to read law. Results in English were particularly impressive with nearly three quarters of passes at grades A or B.

At St Paul's there was a 100% pass rate and strong improvement on the quality of passes from last year. Several students gained grade A in all their subjects.

There were a number of very high-performing students at Shenley Brook End. One will be taking up a place at an Oxford college to read English and several others have secured places at other prestigious universities. Particularly successful subject areas were physics and drama, in which 50% of passes were at grade A.

The great majority of students at Sir Frank Markham Community School gained the results they needed to progress to higher education.

Stantonbury Campus is delighted with the success of its post-16 students this year. Outstanding results were achieved in a number of subjects, including English literature, communications, design technology, mathematics, sociology, theatre studies and the BTEC National in Performing Arts, in which nearly half of the candidates achieved the equivalent of three A grades.

Walton High's students achieved strong success, with more than 20% of all students with one or more grade A passes. Two students achieved 3 grade As and another 4 grade As. Two thirds of overall passes were at grades A to C. Particularly strong subjects were physics with 100% at grade A and product design with 100% at grade A or B. In nine other subjects, including mathematics and further mathematics, more than half the students achieved grades A or B.

Adult students taking A-levels though the Council's Adult Continuing Education Service achieved a high overall pass rate. Results were particularly impressive in Chinese, French, law and mathematics.

Councillor Sandra Clark, Liberal Democrat cabinet member with responsibility for children and young people said: "I would like to offer my congratulations on behalf of Milton Keynes Council to all students and to their teachers. All have worked very hard to achieve these good outcomes. These results continue the improving trend at A-level in Milton Keynes schools and build on the strong improvements at GCSE. Local schools are giving our young people a very firm foundation for future study, training or employment and students taking courses through Adult Continuing Education are also being very well served."

Sean Hickey, Chief Executive of the Milton Keynes and North Bucks Chamber of Commerce, said: "Speaking on behalf of the business community in Milton Keynes, I would like to express my delight with these results. The gap is continuing to close between the Milton Keynes average and the national average, which is excellent. This is great news for employers and business in the city, as it means that our schools are helping our young workforce to become better prepared with the necessary skills needed for successful future employment."