Exceptional Performances from Sixth Formers in Brentford and Isleworth

Outstanding achievements at A Level and in vocational courses

Isleworth and Syon students: Bottom row, L-R: Joe Gilmour, Mikaeel Shah, James Skinner. Top row, L-R: Will Hemmings, Dalbir Gill, Anya Brucal

August 16, 2024

There was a series of exceptional performances from local sixth formers in exams results published this Thursday morning (15 August).

Gunnersbury School continued its record of success with 40% of grades at A’Level A*/A; and 68% A*-B grades, 94% of BTEC students achieved Distinction/D*.

Students are now moving on to world-leading universities including Imperial College London, Kings’ College London, Warwick, UCL, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Nottingham. They will be embarking upon a vast a range of subjects such as: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, History and Philosophy, Accounting and Finance, Economics, PPE.

Headteacher Mr Kevin Burke commented, ‘We are immensely proud of all our Year 13 students for the continued hard work and effort that they have put into their studies. Our students’ superb application, allied to the wonderful support provided by their families and teachers, have enabled such great achievement. We send to each and every one of our departing Year 13s our best wishes for their studies and lives ahead. We look forward to learning of your, undoubted many, exciting experiences and successes in the future."

Gunnersbury School sixth formers with their results

Isleworth & Syon School Year 13 cohort’s top performer in A Levels was Mikaeel Shah, who is heading to read mathematics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge. He achieved a clean sweep of A* grades – four in total including both maths and further maths. This was no surprise after Mikaeel represented the United Kingdom at the International Maths Olympiad this June. He will be joined in Cambridge by Elliot Heath, who achieved 2 A*s and an A to earn a place at Fitzwilliam College. Elliot will read psychological and behavioural science and the school hopes he continues to complement his studies with his love and increasing success as a middle- and long-distance athlete.

Mikaeel’s maths classmate James Skinner will continue his study of the subject, along with physics; he earned three A*s and one A. As one of this year’s Deputy Head Students, James is described as an exemplary member of the school community and a true role model for younger students.

Fellow deputy, Joe Gilmour, is heading to the University of Manchester with an A* and two As – to study philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) and pursue his dream of serving his country as an MP. Will Hemmings has a similar vision for his future and will hope his history and politics degree at York can help him to achieve it. Dalbir Gill is also heading to Manchester for an undergraduate engineering degree this September; his two A*s in maths and physics are ideal preparation for a potential aerospace engineering career.

The Malhi twins, Aaron and Taran, scored identical grades and will continue their journey together by studying computer science in Southampton – the school says it is proud of their journey as they have displayed great progress in Sixth Form to achieve their success. Two students head to Loughborough University, but on different pathways – Elliot Heath pursuing psychology and Priyanshu Verma on a journey towards finance.

Results across the creative subjects at the school were strong particularly in fine art. Amongst a string of A*s is Nico Spahia, who will combine that with an A and a B to pursue his dream of becoming an architect at Cardiff. Once again, the school also ran a successful music vocational course; one of its graduates, Ellis Madle, has already begun an audio-visual apprenticeship at the Institution of Engineering & Technology.

Anya Brucal, the school’s first ever female Co-Head Student and a key member of the school’s ambassador programme, has earned two As, a B and a C and heads to Imperial College London to read material science and engineering. Ruby Balfe studied a blended A level and vocational pathway whilst in the Sixth Form – an ever-more popular choice for students. She received a double Distinction* in her CTEC sport double award, which the school says is richly deserved after her outstanding commitment to our embedded Sports Leadership programme in school. She also earned a B in film, a career pathway she hopes to pursue following a gap year.

Co-Headteachers Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom commented, “Congratulations to all students for their results today – their commitment, resilience and work ethic has been second-to-none. We thank them for their dedication, as well as their families for supporting the school and their children. Whatever their next steps, we wish them well – they continue to inspire us every single day. We are proud to have supported this latest cohort of Isleworthians through their journeys from young boys into men, and we look forward to keeping in touch and hearing about their amazing achievements.”

Gumley House Sixth Form is celebrating lots of individual and subject successes including Maths and Further Maths with 87% of students achieving A* - C grades and 83% of students studying a language receiving grades of A* - B.

There were many stand out students, including:

Ruben who joined Gumley House Sixth Form from Tiffin School is excited to start his journey to becoming a political journalist following his 3 B’s in Psychology, English Lit & Politics.

Janat secured 3 A’s in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. She’s now following her dream to study Medicine at the University of Leicester.

Lily is celebrating an A and 2 Bs in Psychology, Geography and Politics and can’t wait to have more success during her time at Liverpool University where she will study Business Management.

“The Gumley community is unique”, said Olivia following her results in Biology, Chemistry and Maths. Olivia discussed the mentoring programmes which allowed her to track her progress and the encouraging environment in enabling her to secure her place at Exeter University to study neuroscience.

Kiersten has big dreams of supporting Pharma businesses with their decision-making processes following a degree in Life Science at UCL.

“I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience at Sixth Form”, Sophia stated. She’s celebrating her results in Philosophy & Ethics, Sociology and Politics. Her revision cards and maps as well as her teachers have supported her in achieving her goal of studying Law a Manchester University.

Hoi Ying enjoyed the quiet, calm independent study opportunities at Sixth Form and advises younger students to have good time management. She says was a key skill for her to secure her A level results (2 x A*s and 2 x As) in Physics, Chemistry, Maths & Chinese. Hoi Ying is looking forward to starting her degree in Electronic Engineering at UCL.

Ahmad wanted to thank the teachers who supported his journey to Southampton University to study Medicine with a view to becoming a surgeon.

Head of the Gumley Sixth Form, Anthony Graham, said, “I am incredibly proud today. Students results mark another year of excellent academic and personal excellence of our students and staff. Our students have worked tirelessly to achieve their ambitious and I am sure that this is just the beginning of many more successes to come, with students already carving out ambitious careers and pathways. Congratulations to all”.

Headteacher Stephen Byrne added, “At Gumley, we are a close community with a powerful network of staff, students and families, working together to ensure the best outcomes for all our young people. This is evident in our overjoyed students now accepting places at their first-choice universities and embarking on exciting apprenticeships and successful careers. The results attained today are a tribute to our students’ ambition, dedication and the unrivalled support from our teachers and support staff who inspire students every day to achieve their potential, and more. Well done to the Class of 2024 – I wish you every success and hope to welcome you back as part of our alumni.”

Mrs Sally Yarrow, Executive Headteacher of The Green School Trust, said, “We’re absolutely delighted and proud of our students for achieving their excellent A-Level and BTEC results. These students are trailblazers - being the first cohort of Green School for Boys and the first Year 13 students to join with our Year 13 girls at The Green School Sixth Form, judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted this year. Their dedication and commitment to their studies and contribution to our school communities has been inspiring. We would like to thank our staff and families for enabling our students to flourish and develop as caring young adults - epitomising our Trust motto of ‘Expanding Hearts and Minds’.”

Across the borough of Hounslow, 73% of A Level results were awarded at grades A*- C with 6.2% at top grade A*, up from last year.

44 students passed the new advanced technical qualifications, T Levels. Designed with employers, these programmes can support young people to progress to higher and degree- level apprenticeships.

Councillor Samia Chaudhary, Cabinet Member for Education, Children, Skills, and Employment at Hounslow Council, joined students at The Green School for Girls in Isleworth and said, "I am immensely proud of our students for their achievements. I also want to thank the teachers who work tirelessly to support our young people in unleashing their potential, especially those with special educational needs who often require additional assistance in both learning and wellbeing. We are fortunate that all secondary schools in Hounslow are recognised by Ofsted as either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, ensuring the best outcome for our young people.”

Students who are still unsure about their next steps can access free information, advice and guidance from Hounslow Connexions by attending weekly drop-ins in Hounslow House on Tuesday between 3pm and 5pm and by calling 020 8583 5151. They can also visit Hounslow Council’s Youth Skills and Employment Guarantee (YSEG) website to find out more about career pathways available in the borough.

Across the country, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades increased compared with 2023 and is now above that seen before the pandemic. This current cohort was in Year 9 when schools were shut due to Covid-19 and was the first to sit GCSEs when they were reintroduced.

27.8% of entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.6 percentage points on last year and higher that the 25.4% seen in 2019.

The proportion awarded the top A* grade this year has risen by 0.4 percentage points to 9.3% and it is higher than 2019 when it was 7.7%. Excluding the pandemic years this is the highest proportion of the starred grade given out since it was first available in 2010.

Overall, 243,650 18-year-old applicants from the UK have been accepted at a university or college up 6% from last year.

Boys have pulled further ahead of girls at the top grade, with 9.5% scoring an A* compared with 9.1% of girls reversing the position during the pandemic.

Ofqual figures show that, 49.4% of independent school candidates scored grade A or above in all subjects, compared with 22.3% of those at comprehensive schools a wider gap that seen in previous years.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said in an interview on Times Radio, “They’ve been through an awful lot in recent years and they’ve shown tremendous resilience, and they’ve had fantastic support from the staff and teachers within their schools and colleges, and it’s a big and exciting day for them.”