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17 August 2023
Upper Sixth students at King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS) are celebrating a set of A Level results better than those ever recorded pre-pandemic.
This year:
- 43% of grades were A* (2019: 36%), which is the school’s highest ever proportion of A* grades, excluding the last three years when COVID-related special measures were in place for A Level grading
- 78% of grades were A*/A (2019: 77%)
- 95% of grades were A* – B (2019: 95%).
Of the Upper Sixth cohort of 92 students, 18 (20%) achieved straight A*s. Reflecting the breadth of students’ academic interests, 26% of the cohort took four or more A Level subjects and 27% took the Level 3 Extended Project Qualification, an independent research project which extends and develops students’ abilities beyond the traditional A Level syllabus.
As well as promoting a culture of scholarship that encourages breadth in intellectual pursuits, KEHS is also renowned for its rich co-curricular environment in which students not only develop their own passions but also contribute to the life of the school through leadership and service, as demonstrated by many of the Upper Sixth celebrating today. The diversity of student interests is reflected in the variety of subjects and university destinations that await the departing cohort.
KEHS Sports Scholar Lashmitha, who is part of Archery GB and joined KEHS at Sixth Form, achieved 4 A*s in Art, Biology, Chemistry and Maths and an A in the EPQ, and will now read Medicine at the University of Cambridge. She has been awarded a prestigious OCR bursary, of which only 10 are awarded each year to West Midlands students going to Cambridge.
Mahima demonstrated tremendous resilience, having extended her time in the KEHS Sixth Form to three years due to suffering from a severe case of long COVID. Today she is celebrating 3 A*s in Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths, and is looking ahead to reading Chemistry at university.
Grace, who was House Captain of Beaufort House and Vice-Captain of senior netball, and who has supported the school’s partnerships programme with primary schools, achieved 4 A*s in French, History, Latin and Maths and an A* in the EPQ, and will read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Warwick.
Meanwhile, Lauren, who spent four days at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) – a world-leading science research facility in Grenoble – last year, and was also the school’s Dance President, achieved 4 A*s in Economics, Maths, Further Maths and Physics and an A* in the EPQ and has chosen to study Physics at Durham University.
Shreya, a member of the school’s Dance Committee who was also an Arts Ambassador for the TuneUp Arts Culture in Common project for the Birmingham 2022 Festival and a member of the school’s Upper Sixth Committee, achieved A*s in Economics and Religious Studies, an A in Theatre Studies and an A in the EPQ, and will now study Global Law at Queen Mary University of London.
Other Higher Education destinations that await KEHS students include International Social and Public Policy with Politics at LSE, Marine Biology at Plymouth, Maths with Statistics for Finance at Imperial College London and Politics and International Relations at the University of Bath.
Kirsty von Malaisé, KEHS Principal, said: “We are delighted to celebrate this stellar set of A Level results with our students and their families. They have shown tremendous resilience during the last few years, and to have achieved so highly in their first set of public examinations is even more impressive given this context.
“Of particular note this year has been the success of our STEM subjects, which are among our most popular – Maths (61% A*), Psychology (52% A*), Biology (45% A*) and Chemistry (43% A*). Complementing this success, we are delighted that the arts all achieved 100% A* – B grades, with four individuals achieving A* in Art and Theatre Studies alike, and two thirds of the entries achieving A* in Music.
“Underpinning this set of fantastic results are the individual pursuits and passions of each of our students, whether they are in sport, the arts, clubs and societies, fundraising or serving the local community. It has been a pleasure to see our Upper Sixth giving and achieving so much in these areas, and I have no doubt that they will draw fruitfully on these experiences in the future.
“Our students can now look forward to the exciting range of Higher Education pathways that await them, and I wish them all the very best.”
You can download the 2023 KEHS A Level results here.
