“Exceptional Outcomes in Extraordinary Circumstances”
Brighton Girls A Level Results 2020
After months of speculation and uncertainty, following the cancellation of public examinations in March, Brighton Girls today celebrated the achievements of our Year 13 leavers with the publication of A Level results. An incredibly strong cohort of students achieved a superb set of grades. Over 60% of grades awarded were A* or A and 25% of the year group achieved straight A*/As, including Rani (A*A*A*A* and A* in EPQ), who is heading to Queen’s College, Oxford, to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics; Eva (A*A*A*), who will take up her place at Newnham College, Cambridge, to read Archaeology; and Kiana (A*A*A and an A in EPQ) who has been awarded a scholarship to study Medicine at Leicester.
Rosie McColl, Head of Brighton Girls, commented: “This talented year group has achieved exceptional outcomes in the most extraordinary circumstances. Having undertaken the unusual process of submitting Centre Assessed Grades, which required us to scrutinise the way our students had performed throughout their two-year A Level courses, we were in no doubt about the significant academic abilities of this year’s leavers. I am delighted that, despite the difficult circumstances, the majority have been awarded the grades they deserved and are safely onto the next stage of their educational journeys. I wish to thank all the staff at Brighton Girls for the support they have given these students during their time at the school, and for the exciting enrichment opportunities they provided them during lockdown – it was great to see so many colleagues in school today to congratulate the girls on their achievements”.
In addition to achieving excellent grades in their A Level subjects, many leave Brighton Girls with top grades in their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) – a qualification increasingly prized by universities as evidence of independent research and study skills. This year’s projects, which were wide-ranging in their subject-matter and impressive in their delivery, included a study on the phenomenon of blind sight and a project on how bio-mimicry can be used in architecture, for which aspiring architect, Sasha, created her own scale model of a home which would allow the occupants to harness green energy, improve waste disposal and “generally work with the environment rather than against it”.
“Exams are just one part of an individual’s educational experience”, said Rosie McColl, “and the events of the last few months have brought this into sharp relief. More important are the opportunities for confidence building and self-discovery that education provides. I have long maintained that schools should be judged not on exam results alone, nor on university destinations, but rather on the range of pathways being followed by its leavers. I am proud that we have helped our students to discover courses and future careers that span such broad range of interests. That our leavers are pursuing courses in everything from Architecture to Wildlife Conservation, from Forensic Science to the Performing Arts, and that one student, a budding entrepreneur, is all set to establish her own business, speaks for itself. We have provided the space and support to enable individuals to discover their passions and, in doing so, we have helped them on their way to what we hope will be a happy and successful future.”
Well done to the class of 2020 – a remarkable cohort in so many ways!
Brighton Girls will re-open to all year groups in September, providing high levels of academic and pastoral care to girls aged three to 18. We are fortunate to have the space and capacity to open all our sites safely and we look forward to welcoming all our students back into school for the new academic year. Having delivered a full timetable online throughout lockdown, showing incredible levels of resilience and creativity, our teachers are also looking forward to being back in the classroom for what will, no doubt, be another interesting year for us all.
