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Students' dedication produces level best
Youngsters across Wearside are celebrating a bumper crop of A-level results today.
Their hard work and dedication has seen a huge rise in the top results on last year.
The percentage of higher grade A-C passes in the city has risen dramatically by 11 percentage points from 52 last year to 63 per cent this year.
And the percentage of overall passes, grades A to E, has increased from 94 to 96 per cent.
Early indications from Durham County Council also show an increase on last year's results.
City of Sunderland College, with sixth forms Bede, St Peter's and Usworth, is celebrating an amazing 99 per cent pass rate – a six per cent improvement on last year.
And the number of students obtaining A-C grades has improved by a massive 20 per cent.
Damien McLeary, 18, of Penshaw, scooped two As in maths and physics and three Bs in further maths, chemistry and general studies. He is going on to Newcastle University to study maths.
The former Biddick School pupil said: "I'm really happy with what I have got, it was much more than I expected so I'm really, really pleased."
Kayleigh Loom, 18, of Ayton, Washington, scooped three As in English language, sociology and law. She is going to Northumbria University to study law.
The former Oxclose school pupil said: "I'm really, really happy and was delighted when I opened the results.
"I was hoping to get three As but you never know."
Stuart Laverick, vice principal at City of Sunderland College,
said: "We are incredibly pleased this year with our results, in particular with the improvement in the number of students achieving A-C A-level grades."
Simon White, headteacher at St Robert of Newminster RC School in Washington said it had been a fantastic year for his school with 30 students gaining 3 or more As, 14 students got 4 As and one person got 5 As.
Mr White said 72 per cent of the grades were A-C, 47 per cent were A-B and almost a quarter of all the grades were As.
At St Anthony's RC School for girls in Ashbrooke, headteacher Monica Shepherd said: "The whole school community is delighted with the A-level results achieved by our students and the continued success of St Anthony's Sixth Form.
"We have 100 per cent pass rates in over 85 per cent of subjects. The vast majority of students achieved the grades necessary for university entrance."
Seven of the girls at the school's sixth form achieved 3-5 As each, clinching them places at top universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Durham to study a variety of subjects from medicine to foreign languages.
Tony McCourt, headteacher at St Aidan's RC School for boys, said he is also delighted with the results this year, which are showing a three per cent overall improvement on last year.
He said several of the young men gained three As including head boy Jamie Allison, who joined St Aidan's sixth form after leaving Southmoor School, and who is planning to study dentistry and Thomas Raine who has clinched his place in Oxford.
Richard Dennis, assistant head teacher of St Bede's Comprehensive, Peterlee, which includes Byron Sixth Form College, said: "This year the students achieved a pass rate of more than 97 per cent achieveing A* to E at A-level and equivalent grades - this is the picture nationally so once again we are very pleased with the results.
"There are a number of students who did extremely well with the grades in traditional A-level subjects."
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Weather for Sunderland
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
