AFTER two years of disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, school leaders are looking forward to getting back to normal this A-level results day.
Lockdowns, remote learning and class closures littered results days in 2020 and 2021, but as the nation stepped out the pandemic, education has got back on track.
Tony Rushworth, executive principal of The Bicester School, praised his staff and students for showing ‘remarkable resilience’ in the face of continued confusion within education.
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Mr Rushworth said: “The Bicester School is delighted to announce its best ever A-level results.
“Our school, like all other schools, has been through incredible challenging times over the last three years, and yet our staff and students have shown remarkable resilience and effort to accomplish a great set of results.
“These results reflect the incredible learning ethos in our sixth form and the opportunities that have afforded us in moving to a state of the art sixth form building.
“I wish all our class of 2022 the very best in their next steps into employment, apprenticeships, and higher education.”
In September, Ofqual announced overall A-level, AS Level and GCSE results would be down from 2021, when grades were awarded by teacher assessment.
Last year, the proportion of candidates nationally who received top grades was the highest on record.
Grades are expected to be higher than in 2019, when students last sat summer exams.
In 2020, thousands of students across England saw their grades increase after a Government U-turn, as results became based on teachers’ assessments rather than a controversial algorithm devised by Ofqual.
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Oxfordshire county councillor John Howson, a former teacher and school governor, said: “Everyone who works within schools, and families, needs absolute praise.
“It’s been a difficult time for those getting A-level results, from their GCSEs onwards.
“Young people are resilient, but have been through a traumatic period.
“Hopefully as time goes on, they’ll get back onto a more even keel.”
Students concerned about their results should speak to their school or college, especially if their further education, university or place of employment offer depends on a change to their overall grade.
Department for Education advice states that if a student believes an error has been made in the marking of their paper, to speak to their school or college.
UCAS, which handles university admissions, expects the majority of students to secure a place at their firm choice of university, with other students also securing places through the clearing process.
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice
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