Students across Kent receive A-level results
At Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School, Erin Kukkola was excited to find out she got an A* in art , B in biology and C in physics."I checked my results the moment the clock struck eight this morning," she said. "I was planning to do biology at Leeds and I did get in, so I'm very much looking forward to that"."I've not got anything ready yet though, so I've lots to do and sort before term starts." Krishna Dhanani, who got an A* in geography, an A in biology and a B in chemistry, said she is going to do a degree apprenticeship in environmental management."The original plan was to go to university to do environmental science at UCL, but then I did a bit of research into degree apprenticeships."I thought that that was quite an interesting group because you get paid to do work and also go to uni at the same time."I mean I think the experience you get from working and learning on the job is really important, as opposed to just the theoretical experience."
Headteacher Katie Marchant said that, despite a good crop of results, university is "not the be all and end all" for some."There'll be something out there for everyone," she said."Some will do apprenticeships, others additional college courses or art and drama based stuff ."The important thing is not to panic, but to think and take time to work out what you want to do. "Don't just go for something because that's what everyone else is doing."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Sun
Lottery results and numbers: Lotto and Thunderball draw tonight, August 16, 2025
THE NATIONAL Lottery results are in and it's time to find out who has won a life-changing amount of money tonight (August 16, 2025). Could tonight's £3.8 million jackpot see you handing in your notice, jetting off to the Bahamas or driving a new Porsche off a garage forecourt? 3 3 You can find out by checking your ticket against tonight's numbers below. Good luck! Tonight's National Lottery Lotto winning numbers are: 01, 11, 15, 19, 45, 48 and the Bonus Ball is 37. Tonight's National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are: 02, 04, 14, 23, 37 and the Thunderball is 12. The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778. The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket holder was £42million, won in 1996. Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, won £41million in November, 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool. TOP 5 BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS ACROSS THE WORLD £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history's biggest lottery prize £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017 £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018 Sue Davies, 64, bought a lottery ticket to celebrate ending five months of shielding during the pandemic — and won £500,000. Sandra Devine, 36, accidentally won £300k - she intended to buy her usual £100 National Lottery Scratchcard, but came home with a much bigger prize. The biggest jackpot ever to be up for grabs was £66million in January last year, which was won by two lucky ticket holders. Another winner, Karl managed to bag £11million aged just 23 in 1996. The odds of winning the lottery are estimated to be about one in 14million - BUT you've got to be in it to win it. 3
Scotsman
40 minutes ago
- Scotsman
The 17 UK universities with the highest entry standards
Many of this year's secondary school leavers will now be turning their eyes towards university – and will likely be considering which one will be the best choice that their grades allow them. Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland finally received their A Levels results this week, while their Scottish counterparts found out how they did in their Highers qualifications earlier in the month. Those with university aspirations will have also found out whether they have met the requirements for any conditional university offers they had waiting – while others will now be navigating the Clearing process. With this in mind, we've taken a look at the UK universities with the highest entry standards for new students, according to the Complete University Guide's new 2026 league table. This comprehensive annual ranking compares some 130 universities across the country across a variety of metrics, including the proportion of students who stay on after their first year, student satisfaction ratings, research quality, student-to-staff ratio, and more. It also compares universities based on the average of the total number of UCAS tariff points held by new undergraduate students entering the university, using the most recent available data - currently for the 2022/23 academic year. These are points awarded based on the different qualifications and grades a prospective student has earned, which allow candidates' performances to be compared even if they sat different qualifications. The Complete University Guide says in its guidance that it ranks them this way because it's a more accurate reflection of a university's academic standards than average entry requirements. 'Two universities may have similar entry requirements, but the students taking the places may well have exceeded those requirements.' Many of the universities on this list still have spots available via Clearing, so are well worth considering for students who achieved excellent grades on results day. A lot of universities in Scotland ranked particularly highly, although prospective students shouldn't let this put them off – Scottish students often earn more UCAS tariff points overall due to the way their secondary school qualification system is structured. Our list only includes universities where the average UCAS tariff points of the students they accepted as undergraduates exceeded 170. Here were the 17 UK universities that topped the entry standards chart: 1 . University of St Andrews This prestigious Scottish university is based in St Andrews, Fife, and came in 4th overall in the Complete University Guide's 2026 ranking. The average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was 215, the Guide said, from the most recent data available. | Peter Thompson/Photo Sales 2 . University of Glasgow Another well-regarded Scottish institution, Glasgow's namesake university is next. It came in 31st in the overall national ranking. According to the Complete University Guide, the average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was also 215. | Google Photo Sales 3 . University of Cambridge One half of the acclaimed Oxbridge duo, this well-known university in Cambridge, in the East of England, ranked 1st in the overall national ranking. According to the Complete University Guide, the average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was 206. | JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde is also based in Glasgow, Scotland. It came in 38th in the overall national ranking. According to the Complete University Guide, the average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was 203. | Adobe Stock Photo Sales Related topics: UniversitiesStudentsClearingBoost
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Meet the heir hunter who reunites families with £1million lost fortunes – as retired teacher gets £10k out of the blue
SITTING at her desk, Shannon Freeman pores over a family tree. Using historical records as well as birth and death certificates, she is trying to trace the relatives of a woman who was abandoned in hospital as a baby in 1922. 5 When she finds them, she has good news to share — they are the legal heirs to her £40,000 estate. Shannon is a probate genealogist, and spends her day tracking down families to reunite them with long-lost fortunes. She works at Fraser & Fraser, which featured on the BBC series Heir Hunters. Such companies will reunite unclaimed estates with relatives, and take a cut of the inheritance (usually ranging from ten to 30 per cent) for doing the legwork for you. There are around 5,800 unclaimed estates in England and Wales to chase. These are estates without a will or with no known relatives to give to, and are initially passed over to the Crown. If no family can be tracked down after 30 years, it stays in the Government's coffers. Sizes of estates can vary, but can be as much as £1million. Shannon, who has worked at the firm for 13 years, has never been busier, with nearly 300 cases on her list — six of which are worth more than £1million. Below, she reveals how she finds families — and offers tips on how to be your own heir hunter. HOW TO TRACK DOWN RELATIVES THERE are several ways for Shannon to chase leads. Local authorities, hospitals and even neighbours of the deceased will get in touch, asking for her help locating relatives. She looks at the address where the person lived and checks the electoral roll, to see if the deceased lived with anyone as they could be a family member. Researchers are dispatched all over the country, hunting down lost relatives by knocking on neighbours' doors to collect as much information as possible. Family trees are pulled together using birth, death and marriage certificates, information from old censuses and catalogues called Kelly's Directory, which list families who had a certain profession. 5 PASSING ON SAD NEWS IF Shannon strikes gold and tracks down a relative, it can be tough telling them a long-lost family member has died. 'Reactions are mixed,' she says. 'Sometimes you tell someone their father has passed away and the reaction is positive, as they had a difficult relationship. 'Other times, they might never have met the person, but are in tears as it's a shock.' The largest estate Shannon found living heirs for was valued at £1.2million. It was shared out to a total of 19 relatives with the largest share of £110,000 going to a cousin. But beware of cowboy heir hunters knocking at your door. Check a company is legitimate by asking local Trading Standards offices, and checking with Companies House and the Association of Professional Genealogists. 'Be cautious of any heir hunters company that asks for money upfront, as this is not standard practice,' warns Shannon. 5 BE YOUR OWN HEIR HUNTER YOU can check if you could be in line for a surprise inheritance by asking heir hunters if they have a list of cold cases you can look through. If you find someone you think is a relative, see if they have a will at If there's no will, map out your family tree to prove that you are both related. You'll need to pay for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates at £12.50 each. You might not be the sole heir. There could be other relatives who are also entitled to a share of the estate. To make a claim, send evidence to the Bona Vacantia Division at bvestates@ If successful, you will have to administer the estate — making a log of the assets such as property, money and investments, and ensuring any debts are paid off. This process can take two years to complete. 'Knock on the door brought me £10k' A KNOCK on the door changed Sarah's life when an heir hunter told her she was in line for a £10,000 windfall. The 66-year-old from Chelmsford, Essex, was told in 2022 that she was the sole heir to a two-bedroom house in Yorkshire, owned by a long-lost great aunt she had never heard of before. Sarah, a retired nursery teacher, said: 'I was nervous as, usually, when something sounds too good to be true, it is. 'But they talked me through every step and now it's just a case of waiting for the money to come through.' The property is worth £220,000 and is in the process of being sold. As there are debts including a mortgage to pay off, Sarah is expecting to be left with £10,000. She said: 'That is a life-changing amount for me. 'I've been struggling to make ends meet for years. 'I'm hoping to take my two children, aged eight and six, to Disneyland with the money.' PLUM NEW OPPORTUNITY POPULAR banking app Plum has launched a fun new feature based on the weather for millions of customers to use to boost their savings. Plum works out how much you can afford to save then automatically transfers this amount from your bank account into a savings pot in the app. 5 Money saved in this pot can earn interest of 3.53 per cent AER (Annual Equivalent Rate). The new feature on the app uses a weather-based classification for the amount of money you wish to save into your Plum pot. The app checks the weather in your registered location then you choose the amount of money you want to save from five options. Pick 'shady spot' and the app will set aside £1, 'sunny side up' saves £2, 'summer's here' is for £5, 'beach day' saves £10, while 'blazing hot' puts away £20. The highest savings option could see you stash a scorching £2,078 a year. Britain is not known for its balmy weather, so you can always boost your savings by choosing Plum's existing 'rainy day rule'. You can choose to save as much as £20 every time it rains. There are other apps to help you save, such as Snoop, that connects to your bank account and credit cards and sends you alerts so you don't overspend. Monzo allows you to set up spending targets and round up outgoings to set aside into your savings account. Emile Mee LEARN HOW TO SAVE MORE 5 CHECK if you are eligible for a new discount app that could be better than the Blue Light Card scheme. If you work in education, you can sign up to the Discounts For Teachers app that offers exclusive money-off deals at retailers such as Asda, Ikea, Jet2 and B&M. It is not just available to teachers. Teaching assistants, support staff, caterers, maintenance workers, lecturers and professors can apply to join. People who have retired, but used to work in education, can get one too. The app claims its 1.5million members save £2,262 a year including £265 on travel and transport, £259 on groceries, £214 on utility bills and £186 on their mobiles and TVs. The savings are said to be double the amount people can make on the Blue Light Card, which provides reductions of up to £800 a year. However, the Blue Light scheme is available to a wider number of people including NHS staff, emergency service personnel, social care workers and people in the Armed Forces. Sign up to Discount for Teachers by filling out the registration form at discountsforteachers. Then provide a work email address or a valid document to prove you work in education. To sign up for the Blue Light Card, head to Give proof of your profession by uploading a form of valid ID or recent payslip.
