logo
Three south Essex schools celebrate record-breaking year of A-Level results

Three south Essex schools celebrate record-breaking year of A-Level results

Yahoo2 days ago
THREE south Essex schools are celebrating a record-breaking year of A-Level results.
From the highest grades in their history to record numbers of students securing their first-choice university places, Chase High School, The Appleton School and Cecil Jones Academy have each set new milestones.
At Chase High School, in Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff, the number of students enrolling at university has surged by 15 per cent compared to last year – the highest level on record.
Students with their results at Chase High School (Image: Chase High School)
More students than ever have also secured their first-choice of university.
Among the top performers were Maria Ali, who earned four Distinction grades in business and media.
Another was Jemima Omombo who achieved Double Distinction* in business, a B in English and a C in psychology.
She has now enrolled on a unique programme with Harvard University.
Head of sixth form Emma Mulford said she was 'immensely proud' and excited to see students flourish in the next stage of their journey.
She said: "I am immensely proud of all of our students who have received their results.
"Their success is a testament to their hard work, determination and resilience."
The Appleton School, in Croft Road, Benfleet, recorded the highest A-level results in its history.
Headteacher Sarah Cox described them as 'record-breaking' and 'testament to the incredible efforts' of students and staff.
The Appleton School celebrating its highest A-level results in its history (Image: The Appleton School)
Standout achievers included Gemma Clift and Jacob Walter, who both secured three A*s and will study at Warwick University, and Hayden Wakefield, who achieved four As and will study chemical engineering at Nottingham.
Students will move on to a wide range of degrees and higher-level apprenticeships, from medicine and law to finance and engineering, with success across both A-level and BTEC courses.
At Cecil Jones Academy, in Eastern Avenue, Southend, results also reached record heights, with 20.2 per cent of grades at A* to A and 41.9 per cent at A* to B.
Pupils at Cecil Jones Academy (Image: Cecil Jones Academy)
Among the top achievers were Opeoluwa Adewole, with three A*s, and Ali Kamaly, with two A*s and an A.
Students are progressing to a diverse mix of university courses including medicine, maths, economics, and civil engineering.
Headteacher Richard Micek said: "I'm exceptionally proud of our students.
"Their hard work and perseverance have truly paid off.
"This year we have a record number of students securing places at universities with many of these being at top institutions, which is a fantastic achievement and reflection of their commitment and determination."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Is this the FTSE 100's greatest recovery stock right now?
Is this the FTSE 100's greatest recovery stock right now?

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Is this the FTSE 100's greatest recovery stock right now?

Investors remain unconvinced by Persimmon's (LSE:PSN) credentials as a potential FTSE 100 recovery stock. They are unmoved even after a largely impressive trading update on Wednesday (13 August). In it, the housebuilder said that 'our average sales price, sales, completions, planning approvals, active sites and forward order book' all rose in the six months to June. In fact, Persimmon's share price dropped again following the release. It's now down 6.3% in the year to date. Are investors missing a chance to snap up what could be an exceptional turnaround stock? The recovery continues The housebuilding industry's post-2023 rebound has been bumpy at times. But supported by steady interest rate cuts, its upward momentum continues. Persimmon's latest trading statement shows it remains firmly on the comeback trail. It showed housing revenues up 12% in the six months to June. Total completions rose 4%, and average selling prices improved 8%. Better sales volumes, married with self-help measures, pushed the company's underlying operating margin 10 basis points higher. Underlying operating profit increased 13%. The builder's robust performance means it remains confident of a sustained recovery over the medium term. Completions are tipped to increase in 2025, to 11,000-11,500 from 10,664 last year, and again to 12,000 in 2026. A full-year underlying operating margin of 14.2%-14.5% is also expected. That's up from 14.1% in 2024. So what's occurring then? Put simply, investors are considering the fragility of the housing market recovery. Given signs of stagnating economic growth and a deteriorating jobs market, I can hardly blame them. Persimmon itself has warned of the threat of 'geopolitical events and challenging market conditions, including uncertainty in advance of the Budget' in autumn. Yet, tough economic conditions, rising living costs, and increased Stamp Duty haven't derailed the industry's recovery, so far. Latest Halifax data showed average home prices up 0.4% in July, the fastest rate of growth so far in 2025. Persimmon also continues to ride high — net private sales rates were 0.61 in the five weeks from 30 June, up from 0.55 in the same 2024 period. With further interest rate cuts tipped, and fierce competition among Britain's lenders also helping buyer affordability, I'm confident the sector rebound can continue. I'm not alone — Halifax's head of mortgages Amanda Bryden expects 'house prices to follow a steady path of modest gains through the rest of the year'. A 45% return? Given this supportive backdrop, City analysts think Persimmon's share price can rebound sharply over the next 12 months. The average target among the 16 analysts with ratings on the housebuilder is £15.33 per share. That's up a stunning 38.4% from current levels. With the builder packing a huge 5.6% forward dividend yield, too, investors today might enjoy a total return just a shade below 45% over the next year. Near-term challenges threaten Persimmon's potential to be the FTSE 100's best recovery stock. But given its strong operational progress and the likelihood of further interest rate reductions, I think it's still a top UK share to consider. The post Is this the FTSE 100's greatest recovery stock right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Royston Wild has positions in Persimmon Plc. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Wetherspoon manager sacked for giving discount on halloumi fries
Wetherspoon manager sacked for giving discount on halloumi fries

Yahoo

time39 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Wetherspoon manager sacked for giving discount on halloumi fries

A former manager at a JD Wetherspoon pub has won an employment tribunal after the chain sacked him for allowing a colleague a 50% food discount. Peter Castagna-Davies was dismissed from his role as a shift leader at the Pontlottyn pub in Abertillery despite 22 years of unblemished service. Mr Castagna-Davies had put the items – two portions of halloumi fries, two portions of chicken breast bites, and two cans of Monster energy drink – through the till for kitchen worker Noah Gardiner and applied a half-off discount for shift staff. An internal investigation found he had breached policy by allowing Mr Gardiner to buy "excessive products" at the 50% rate and to take the food home. The Cardiff employment tribunal heard Mr Castagna-Davies had not been aware that two minutes before he approved the items, Mr Gardiner had used a different manager's till key to process another free meal for himself – chicken breast bites and a can of Monster Punch. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter. Wetherspoon's disciplinary chairman Chris Jenkins decided to fire Mr Castagna-Davies, telling him: "Shortly before you processed Noah's 50% on-shift discount he had processed through the till his own staff feeding meal, some two hours after his break when he had consumed it, which you had no knowledge of him doing so or even going on his break. "I find this both worrying and surprising that, as the duty manager with so few staff to manage on the shift in question, you had no knowledge or control over what was going on." Two months before the ill-fated discount – which happened at 8.04pm on January 31, 2024 – the chain had internally circulated rules stating only one item from the food menu and one soft drink were available for free to employees on a shift. Employees wishing to add extra items could purchase them at half price and if they wanted to take food home the discount would only be 20%. Pontlottyn manager Sarah Newton had messaged the pub's employee group chat saying the company was "cracking down" because staff at other pubs had taken multiple 50% orders home. She warned there had been cases when use of the discount had led to disciplinary investigations. In the tribunal, Wetherspoon's witnesses said there had been "a crackdown on the 50% discount because staff had been caught taking food home to feed their whole family". They claimed the business had suffered "significant" costs, which led it to adopt a "corporate zero-tolerance attitude towards abuse of the staff discount". Wetherspoon uses a system called IntelliQ to flag potential staff fraud. A week after the discount was approved by Mr Castagna-Davies, the system flagged concern over the transaction. Ms Newton told him "mistakes happen" but that he should be careful because the company "really were cracking down on it". Mr Castagna-Davies responded that he was disappointed in himself for the mistake. An investigating manager, Keri Blanchard, interviewed Mr Gardiner, who said he had cooked the food himself. Asked if he had eaten his initial free meal on-site, he replied: "I should've yeah, I don't take food home any more.' But he then admitted he had taken home the items put through by Mr Castagna-Davies. Asked if he had requested a 50% discount, Mr Gardiner said: 'I just asked for someone to put it through.' When Mr Castagna-Davies was interviewed he said he could not remember the transaction but that he may have mistakenly "pressed the wrong button" in applying a discount of 50% rather than 20%. He denied being aware Mr Gardiner planned to take the food home. Mr Jenkins dismissed him without notice. Although he acknowledged Mr Castagna-Davies' clean disciplinary record over 22 years, he pointed out Wetherspoon had been "vigorous" in communicating its zero-tolerance approach. He also believed Mr Castagna-Davies had known the food would be taken home as it was not "normal for staff at the pub to eat that much food during their breaks". In an appeal, Mr Castagna-Davies drew on evidence from four witnesses to argue Mr Gardiner "had ordered the food in a deceptive way". But Wetherspoon area manager Dannie Stephens upheld the dismissal, telling him he had "failed to lead, manage and organise your shift sufficiently to prevent the breach". At the tribunal, Judge Rachel Harfield noted "the staff discount system is one built on trust" and that regular abuse would be costly to Wetherspoon. But she concluded it was not reasonable for Ms Stephens to conclude this was a case of "gross incompetence or gross negligence, as opposed to being simple negligence that falls within the misconduct category of the respondent's policy". The judge added: "There is no evidence that Dannie Stephens gave any thought to that at all. She seems simply to have operated on the basis that the claimant should have managed the shift better, that if he had done so the breach would not have happened, therefore the claimant should be held responsible for the breach, and it was possible under the policy to dismiss for a single act. "There was no weighing of the actual seriousness of the claimant's actions in their actual context. Dannie Stephens seemed to have viewed the claimant as diligent in other areas. It was one incident on one shift that he could have managed better. He was an employee with long service and a clear disciplinary record. The decision to uphold the dismissal at appeal stage was not within the reasonable range. In my judgement that rendered the whole dismissal unfair." A payout is yet to be decided. Judge Harfield encouraged the parties to attempt a settlement before a remedy hearing takes place. WalesOnline has asked Wetherspoon if it will be reviewing its approach to disciplinary matters in light of the judge's findings.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store