Schools in Norwich were celebrating the successes of pupils amid a very unusual year of A-level results.
At Lord Nelson Sixth Form at Ormiston Victory Academy notable success stories included Kostas Harilela achieved two A* grades and one A grade across mathematics disciplines and business studies.
William Blackmore achieved two A grades and one A* across mathematics and chemistry, while Hamza Khizer whose determination across three years resulted in no less than six excellent A-levels.
Head of sixth form, Richard Timm, said: “I would like to congratulate all students on a wonderful set of results. I wish them all the best for their future studies and chosen careers and thank the staff for their dedication.”
MORE: ‘Disgraceful’ - teachers and students unhappy at downgraded A-levelsTaverham High School saw the number of students gaining graded A* to C grades rise to 73pc, having been 67pc in 2019.
Those celebrating included Ben Alden, Kimberley Gaskin and Zoe Barber who all gained three A* grades.
Though it did not release the overall figures, City of Norwich School said it was celebrating an “unprecedented academic year” with a number of students securing places at top universities.
Among them was Sahand who arrived in the UK with his family as a refugee from Iran and when he joined CNS in Year 7, he could not speak English.
He will now fulfill his dream of studying dentistry at Dundee University after achieving two As and two Bs.
Jane Austin College and Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form both saw 80pc of students achieve A* to C grades.
Some 83pc of Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form students achieved A* to C, including vocational subjects.
Peter Lambert, head of school, said the results were a tribute to the hard work of students, staff and the “wonderful support” from their friends and family at home.
MORE: A-level results 2020 - Live list of results from Norfolk and WaveneyAt the Norwich School 61 pupils have got 3 As or more, and 18 pupils have got three A* or more. Lorna Gauvain, 18, collected three A* grades and plans to study forensic psychology at the University of Kent starting in 2021 after a year out.
She said the results are what she was hoping for but added: “For the first few months it didn’t really feel like they were going to be our results.”
Others celebrating included Sam Todd who achieved his place to study cyber security at the University of Gloucestershire.
Steffan Griffiths, head master, said: “We have been so impressed by the resilience and dignity of the 2020 cohort in the face of considerable adversity.”
Five A* grade student ‘can’t fully own’ results
A student who received five A* grades at A-level and plans to study medicine at Cambridge University has said she feels she cannot “fully own” her results as she did not sit exams this year.
Ranya Kumar, 18, collected four A* grades at Norwich School in addition to an A* in maths from last year.
She said she was “very happy” to get the grades needed to go to Cambridge, but it was a “hard feeling” to know they were awarded by an algorithm.
“I feel that I can’t fully own my results because I didn’t write the exams, which is a hard feeling,” said Ranya, of Norwich. “But I think that as long as you get to the next stage that’s what matters.”
She said there “always will be” a stigma around A-level results awarded this year, “but when you get to university you will earn it again”.
Awaiting results day was “a difficult time”, she said, adding: “The uncertainty was quite unsettling.
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