Highams Park Celebrates Outstanding A level and BTEC Results

Highams Park School is incredibly proud of the outstanding progress and achievements of our Year 13 students in their A level and BTEC results. We are very proud that our A level qualifications produced outstanding outcomes, with an excellent 24% of our grades were A*-A (an increase of 8% on the previous year) and 53% of our grades being at A*-B (an increase of 5% on the previous year). This is alongside phenomenal BTEC outcomes, with 72% of our grades being awarded at least a Distinction grade and 100% being awarded at least a Merit.  These percentages showcase the marvellous results that our students have obtained this year.  

Alongside attainment data, the overall data for Highams Park Sixth Form shows that students yet again made above expected progress across the board in their Level 3 qualifications. For the 9th year in a row, the school is proud that the progress our students make in the Sixth Form is in the top 25% of the country. These outcomes showcase the consistency of excellent results achieved by students at Highams Park School. 

These outstanding outcomes have enabled over 80% of students to obtain a place at their first-choice universities. This includes currently at present 25% of places being at Russell Group universities, with students obtaining places at prestigious institutions such as LSE, Durham and UCL. We are particularly proud of our trio of students, Matilda, Ioan and Miriam who between them achieved 10 A* and A grades and have secured places to read at Oxford and Cambridge Universities on PPE, Theology and French and Russian respectively. This is a wonderful achievement for these students and highlights the magnificent success of Highams Park Sixth Form in supporting students to achieve places at the world’s top institutions. This is alongside an increasing number of students securing places on leading apprenticeship pathways with both national and international firms, such as Amazon.  

The A level results highlighted a variety of pleasing outcomes for Highams Park students. Overall, the school achieved 172 grades awarded between A*-B, which was an increase on last year.  Some highlights include Iziah who with 3A*s in Maths, Further Mathematics and Physics will move onto read Physics at University of Bristol, and Emma who with 3 A*s in Philosophy, History, the Extended Project and an A in English Literature will go onto study History at the University of Warwick.  

As ever, it is not just with respect to A level grades and university entry that Highams Park students have achieved great success.  Our BTEC results continued to be outstanding, with 18 of the 25 grades awarded achieving at least a Distinction. Some particular highlights include Imaan who with a D*D in BTEC Business and a B in Sociology will be moving onto City St Georges to study Psychology, Jack who with a D*D* in BTEC Sport will be beginning an apprenticeship and Aya who will be going to study at City St Georges to read Midwifery with a D*D* in Health and Social Care and C in Sociology. These outcomes highlight the broad and balanced curriculum on offer at our Sixth Form, something that we take great pride in as a truly comprehensive school that seeks to cater for the entirety of our local community.  

We were very pleased to welcome Sir Iain Duncan Smith, our local MP and Cllr Rosalind Dore, the Cabinet Member for Libraries, Culture and Sports into school to celebrate the results with our students. 

Nigel Armsby, Principal of Highams Park School, is extremely pleased with the results achieved by Year 13 students and said “As a school we are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud of our Year 13 students. They were a fantastic cohort, who thoroughly deserved all that they have achieved in their A level and Level 3 BTEC qualifications. The vast majority of students have got into their first-choice university, setting them up for the next stage of their life which I wish them all the best with. The outcomes back up the Outstanding judgement that the Sixth Form received from OFSTED in May 2024, which speaks about the outstanding progress that students make as part of their studies in the  Sixth Form ”.   

Liam McDonnell, Assistant Principal- Head of Sixth Form, added “Our Year 13 students have shown continued dedication and drive to succeed in their studies. This has been rewarded with outstanding results, which continue to be above the national average for progress. The students should be commended for the resilience and positive attitude with which they undertook their examinations. We are also very pleased that a large number of students are also moving onto high quality apprenticeships, including in the fields of Law and Business Administration. Our students have been a credit to the Sixth Form and the school, and go into the world equipped with outstanding skills and attributes to make a positive impact for the future. The results truly reflect the Sixth Form as a key strength of the school, with students benefiting from high quality teaching and learning alongside extensive wider opportunities, as highlighted in our Outstanding OFSTED judgement in May 2024”.