5 days ago
Success sewn up: pupil secures Savile Row apprenticeship as thousands in the East get grades
Students across the region are celebrating with nearly a tenth securing the top A-level grade and thousands of others winning places at their chosen universities or on apprenticeships.
At Moulsham High School in Chelmsford the successes included Evie McLean who got two A* and B and is off to take up a tailoring apprenticeship on Savile Row in London.
Ms McLean is set to become an apprentice cutter for a bespoke tailors on the street which is world famous for top class tailoring.
She said: "I knew I always wanted to do something with sewing and clothes, but tailoring - I was really drawn to it. I am really, really excited."
Caleb Adesanya needed two Cs but got two Bs which will get him into Leicester University to study accounting and finance.
He said: "I'm feeling good. I only needed double C but I got double B so I am more than excited about it."
Alex Stephenson got four A*s in his subjects and is off to UCL in London to study biomedical sciences.
"It feels amazing to have all that hard work pay off," he said.
Mark Blenkin, Head of School, said: "It's very emotional and it's an amazing day. Students and parents should be very proud of themselves. It's the best results we've ever had."
Many pupils from Moulsham are going to universities, including Cambridge, Durham and Loughborough, but lots are also taking up apprenticeships companies like Rolls Royce and Amazon.
It is an increasing trend as many pupils opt for training courses rather than racking up large amounts of student debt.
At University Technical College Norwich they are celebrating their best-ever A-level results but only a third of the pupils are off to university, most have secured apprenticeships and work placements instead.
Luke Moralee, Deputy Head, said students had worked tirelessly to get the best results the college had ever had. Pupils can study T-levels and engineering courses as well as A-levels.
Sebastian Quinton, 18, got a distinction* in engineering, A in physics, A in maths and B in further maths and is off to study at Sheffield University.
Across the region, the proportion of candidates receiving top A-level grades has risen for the second year in a row and remains higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of students getting the top grade of A* in Eastern England has risen to 9.3% (2024: 9.1%; 2019: 7.9%).
Those getting A* and A was also up to 28.0% (2024: 27.5%; 2019: 25.6%), while 77.8% scored C or above (2024: 76.1%; 2019: 75.7%).
