NEWS FEED
Canford School is celebrating another year of very high academic achievement with nearly a quarter of all A level/Pre-U entries awarded the top A* grade – a 5% increase on 2015, over half of all grades A*/A and over four in five of all entries A*/B.
Once again, Canford has significantly outperformed the national picture, which saw the proportion of both the A* and A*/A grades awarded drop slightly. Bucking this trend, Canfordians achieved nearly three times the overall 8.1% A* grade and double the national figure of 25.8% A*/A.
There were some stellar performances across both sciences and arts subjects. More than 1 in 3 of all papers in mathematics, further mathematics, Spanish, art and the three sciences were graded A* or equivalent, with 83% of further mathematics papers awarded A*/A. 100% of all entries in Pre-U art gained A*/A, while 86% achieved A*/A in French.
Nearly 40% of all candidates gained at least 3 A*/A grades, with 37% of pupils awarded at least one A*. Among the many individual pupil successes, there were clean sweeps of A*s for eight Canfordians including Ella Hearne in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics; Thomas Minall in biology, mathematics, further mathematics and physics and Jack Lee, who added the top grade in chemistry, mathematics, further mathematics and physics to his bronze award in the Physics Olympiad, and Best Delegate at the Model UN conference in Oxford. Sam Radvan celebrated A*s in chemistry, mathematics and physics and an A in further mathematics just a few weeks after winning double gold for England Rowing at the Home International as part of both the Junior Men’s Coxed Fours and the Eight. Caroline Jackson, already a post grade 8 pianist and awarded an ABRSM diploma on oboe this year, gained A*s in English and mathematics and As in further mathematics and chemistry. All those holding offers for Oxbridge and veterinary science gained their places and there was a 100% pass rate.
Commenting on this year’s results, headmaster Ben Vessey said:
“In a challenging year for the sector, with numerous curriculum changes plus the move from modular to linear A levels, I am truly delighted for both pupils and staff that their hard work has been so well rewarded with such excellent results. Canford has once again significantly outperformed the national figures, seeing a substantial increase in the top grade. I am also very pleased to see pupils across the ability range performing extremely well, and in many cases far beyond expectations. All have managed to combine high achievement within the classroom with participation in a wide variety of co-curricular opportunities, a balance which should stand them in great stead for the future. I wish all our leavers every continued success.”
