We warmly congratulate our students on their impressive A level results – we are proud of what our students have achieved and we applaud them for their collective and individual successes.
BGS Headmaster, Jaideep Barot, commented:
“A level results day is such a massive moment in the lives of these young men and women, and I was pleased to share this moment, along with many of my colleagues, with them this morning. They know, I hope, that much more than the grades they received today, it is their character and outlook which will determine their future, and we are very proud of this group of leavers. That said, this is the culmination of all they have worked for academically over their school careers, and I am pleased it went so well for so many of them.
“While the headlines are always written in terms of top grades and top university places, we are every bit as proud of those who have worked incredibly hard to achieve grades that may once have felt beyond their reach.
“What makes this all the more impressive is that these academic successes are just one part of what these boys and girls have achieved at BGS – with great commitment and success beyond the classroom, too, whether in sport, on stage, or elsewhere within the huge range of activities on offer at BGS.”
This year’s 100% pass rate includes 37 students who achieved 3 or more A*/A grades, with 13 of them gaining 3 or more A*s. We are delighted that all eleven pupils holding Oxbridge offers met them; they will go on to study a diverse range of exciting courses such as English and French, Chemistry, History, Maths and PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics).
Alongside their main subjects, eighteen of our students completed the Extended Project Qualification and have achieved some fantastic results with 94% of all marks being awarded a grade B or above, and four out of five students gaining an A or A*.
Justin Harford, Director of Sixth Form, added: “I have enjoyed working with this group of young people over the last couple of years, and am delighted with these results. This year-group has embraced the changing landscape of higher education with an increase in the number applying for degree apprenticeships and vocational courses, such as nursing and journalism.”
Here are some of our student’s successes:
Jemima joined BGS at Sixth Form and studied Chemistry, Mathematics, Drama and Music.
“I’m emotional but very happy with my results. I’m taking a gap year next year, and I’m excited to start working as a Performing Arts Assistant at BGS’s Performing Arts Centre for two terms before going travelling. I’ve deferred a place to study Law at Manchester University in 2020 but I am keeping my options open, and want to take the opportunity to reapply after I’ve considered what I want to do for the rest of my life.
“I joined BGS in the Sixth Form. When I was choosing between schools, Mr Harford gave me some good advice: “You will work hard wherever you go, but to get the most out of the Sixth Form experience, you need to try and do as much as you can outside of your studies.” There are so many extracurricular activities to get involved in here compared to other schools. I’ve been involved in drama performances – such as School of Rock, which was really fun – and lots of music activities. I was also able to study four A levels, which I wasn’t able to do at other schools.
“The opportunities you get at BGS are second to none; the amount that you can do and are encouraged to do is staggering. BGS has helped me to think about life after school, thinking about and preparing for university and my future career.”
Daniel who joined our Junior School in Year 5 studied Maths, Physics and Chemistry is taking up a degree apprenticeship.
“I am very excited to be joining Airbus on the Supply Chain Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Scheme. I decided on the Degree Apprenticeship route because I wanted to gain real life experiences alongside my studies.”
Seren joined BGS in Year 9 from a Prep School and studied Geography, Music and Classical Civilisation.
“I’m going to study Popular Music and Classical Studies at Liverpool University, as I’m very interested in music and classics. Only Liverpool offer this course: I was originally considering Egyptology and it evolved from there.
“Career-wise I’d like to be a musician, and I enjoy contemporary music more than classical music. During my spare time in the Sixth Form, I would write songs and perform them, and read a lot of Sappho. I also applied and was awarded one of the School’s Travel Awards to visit Sappho’s home of Lesbos and am working out the details to go next summer after I have started my university course.
“I joined BGS in Year 9 from Tockington Manor School, and am very glad I chose BGS.”
Holly joined BGS at Sixth Form and studied German, Mathematics and Psychology.
“I was inspired to come to Bristol Grammar School after I came to the Sixth Form Information Evening and spent 20 minutes chatting in German and English to Mr Wall, Head of German at the time. I wanted to come to a school where teachers were as passionate about languages and specifically German, as I was. I wanted to be in a Sixth Form where someone would champion languages.”
Holly is going to Exeter College, Oxford to study German and is the fourth generation of her family to study at the same college.
“It was amazing to get an offer from Oxford University and even better that I’ve got the grades I needed to go. I can’t believe it. I knew that BGS would support my application for Oxford and that I would be stretched here and be with other people of similar abilities. The pastoral support has been excellent and I have been very well supported emotionally.”