Sittingbourne’s secondary schools are celebrating after pupils achieved top A level results. Nicola Forman reports ...

Highstead Grammar School

These girls at Highsted Grammar School were certainly celebrating after As in all of their subjects, helping the school get a 100 per cent pass rate.

Annabel Dennis, 19, from Park Drive, got four As in English, maths, history and geography. She now intends to study economics at Cambridge University.

Abigayil Blandon, 18, from Hartlip, is also planning on going to Cambridge University after getting four As in maths, physics, biology and geography. She will be studying national sciences.

Kings College in London beckons for Sadaf Kader, 18, from Sonora Fields after she got three As in biology, chemistry and physics. She plans to study medicine.

Highsted’s head teacher Jenny Payne said: “We are overjoyed that 2009 has been another vintage year for A-level results at Highsted.

“By working in partnership with Borden Grammar and Fulston Manor schools, we have once again achieved 100 per cent A-level pass rate by offering the broadest range of A-level subjects in the area.

“Students have worked extremely hard to produce these outstanding results and we are very proud of all that they have achieved; they are a credit to themselves and the school.

“We would like to commend the dedication and talent of the teaching staff who, together with the families of our students, have provided much support during their time at the school.”

Westlands School

The Westlands School announced a significant rise in the quality of grades.

The overall pass rate of over 98 per cent has remained the same as in 2008, although the quality of the grades has risen significantly with a decrease in the number of D and E grades and a rise in the number of top grades.

Head teacher Jon Whitcombe said: “This year we have seen a significant improvement in the quality of grades awarded.

"Particularly pleasing is the quality of grades in traditional academic subjects such as mathematics and English.

"I am full of admiration for the pupils who have excelled as well as the outstanding teachers who have taught them.

"We anticipate that the number of students leaving Westlands for University will continue to rise as a consequence of these excellent results.”

Sittingbourne Community College

SCC head teacher Alan Barham praised the outstanding work and commitment of the students and staff in achieving record A-level results.

Seventy students achieved A-level results with 70 per cent of the students achieving A and B grades.

The college achieved its first A-level results in maths and science.

The success of the Post-16 Centre is also demonstrated by a record number of students, 40, going to university.

Fulston Manor School

Staff and students at Fulston Manor are celebrating the school’s best ever A-level results which will lead to a record number of students being able to take up university places in September.

Despite having more entries than ever before, with 92 students taking A2 courses, everyone passed a minimum of one A-level with 75 per cent achieving grade C or better and 37 per cent A or B grades.

All indicators are up on previous years and the rise in the number of top grades is particularly significant.

Top performer was Alicia Sheppard, whose four grade As will enable her to take up her place at Cambridge University in September.

Alex Staker, 18, from Park Drive, was pleased with his A, B and two Cs as that means he can now go to Portsmouth University to study business and finance.

Some 48 students have already achieved the grades required to take up places at their first choice universities and this figure is expected to rise to about 60 once the clearing process has been completed.

Head teacher Alan Brookes expressed his delight with these results and a slight concern that the level of success may not be fully understood.

He said: “It can be hard for people to appreciate the sheer scale of what has been accomplished here.

"Fulston Manor is a non-selective school. The majority of our students did not pass the Kent Test at 11 but so many have now gone on to achieve top grades at A-level and places in some of the best universities in the country.

"On average, the grade achieved for every student is a grade higher than that indicated by the students’ prior attainment.

"This is a fantastic reflection on the quality of the education that has been delivered and the hard work and tenacity of the young people themselves.”

Borden Grammar School

The successful efforts of students and their teachers resulted in 48 per cent A/B grades across all subject entries and an average of 369 UCAS points per student.

Fifteen students achieved AABB or higher, and nine of them attained three or more A grades.

Among those individuals, Rhys Barnett, Sam Duchesne and Samuel Thomas achieved five A grades.

Dominic Campbell and Darren March achieved four A grades and there were three each for Ciaran Head, Tim Jenkins, Tom Palmer and Mark Williams.

Head teacher Harold Vafeas said: “There were many other very pleasing individual results with excellent progress and achievement.

"We wish all our leavers a happy and successful future in higher education or their chosen career.”

Matthew Knell, 17, from Riverhead Close, was particularly pleased with his four Bs and an A as he can now go to university to study psychology.

The national picture

Nationally the pass rate rose for the 27th year in a row, with more than one in four exam entries (26.7 per cent) awarded an A grade - up from 25.9 per cent last year.

The overall pass rate (grades A-E) was 97.5 per cent, an increase of 0.3 per cent from last year, and more than three-quarters of entries (75.1 per cent) were awarded at least a C grade.