A-level results: Birchwood head reflects on 'super set' of results

As more than 100 Birchwood High School students gathered to receive their A-level exam grades, principal Dr Chris Ingate hailed their"super set of well-deserved results".

A press release from the Parsonage Lane secondary made no mention of how the summer 2018 cohort’s performance compared with last year or previous years.

Dr Ingate said: “Overall, these results build on our growing reputation as a strong post-16 provider, with, once again, above-average value-added performance.

“However, what matters most is at the individual level. There were a significant number of standout performances with A* or A grades and we have students moving on to some of the best universities in the country, including Cambridge, Warwick and Durham.

“We also have some who have been employed by top employers directly from A-level, fulfilling our aims of having no-one left behind and all achieving their potential.”

He added: “Most significantly, I am struck by how well-balanced, sensible and responsible these 18-year-olds are.

“Everyone recognises that academic qualifications are just the passport to a given career, but it is your personal qualities that carry you.

“This was a characterful cohort of talented students who gave a lot to the school. They will be missed but will hopefully keep in touch through our growing alumni.”

* Secondary schools in Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth have agreed not to release comparative statistics because of GDPR and because each school has different sixth form entry criteria, making pure attainment headlines difficult to compare. Value Added scores are the only valid comparator and these are not published by the Department for Education until November.