A Level Results Day 2023: All the results and celebration photos from across Derbyshire

Thousands of pupils across Derbyshire have received A level results today – with many securing places at top Universities and internships.

As students across the country could finally open their long awaited results envelopes this morning, top A-level results across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have fallen for a second year running with 27.2% of all grades being A* or A. It follows a spike in top grades in 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled because of Covid.

In Derbyshire, many students were anxious to find out how they did – with many successful pupils celebrating fantastic achievements.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Councillor Alex Dale said: “The last few years have been difficult for all students, their families and school staff who have all worked incredibly hard in very challenging circumstances.

“I’d like to thank headteachers, teachers, staff, governors, parents and carers for supporting our young people through this important time in their lives.

“There’s plenty of advice and support on offer for all students from their school or college as they consider their next steps and I’d like to wish our students all the best for the future.”

There were lots of happy faces at Netherthorpe School as students’ hard work paid off with ‘outstanding’ results for those who sat exams over the summer. Across the UK, 79% of those receiving results gained a place at their first-choice university – and that was also the case at the Staveley school with Sixth Form students gaining places at universities including Loughborough, Durham and Lancaster.

Netherthorpe has achieved its highest rate of passes at A* to B – 39% - since 2017, excluding the pandemic years. The school has also seen a number of pupils opting for degree-level apprenticeships locally for companies including engineering giants Rolls-Royce.

Eighteen-year-old Lauren Rodger was at Netherthorpe with her parents, Carla Quinton and Daniel Rodgers, to collect her results. She achieved straight As in business studies, maths and product design and is off to Northumbria University to study Design for Industry.

Lauren said: “Designing products for businesses has been my favourite subject since I joined Netherthorpe School in Year 7 and I’m so pleased that I’ll be able to study it further at university.”

Carla, Lauren’s mum added: “Lauren has worked so hard and put in a lot of effort. We’re really proud of her.”

Head boy, James Vernon, 18, is celebrating an A* in psychology plus two As in maths and PE by jetting off to Barcelona. He will study Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University in September.

James said: “I’m delighted that I got into my first-choice university. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Netherthorpe and received a lot of support from school whilst studying for my A-Levels. I’m looking forward to enjoying the rest of the summer and a trip to Barcelona.”

Other results included two A*s and an A in maths, history and physics for eighteen-year-old Riley Lockwood, an A*, A and B for Megan Ives, who is off to study law at the University of Leicester, and an A*, two As and a B for Sam Rhodes.

He said: “It will be strange not coming back to Netherthorpe in September as the school has been a huge part of my life. I’m looking forward to going to university – I’m off to study mechanical engineering at Lancaster University – and I’m so excited.”

Connie Fagan, meanwhile, achieved three Level Three Distinctions in Health & Social Care and will study Primary Education at Sheffield Hallam University later this year.

Headteacher Helen McVicar said: “I have been so impressed with the dedication and hard work by our pupils this year. Teaching staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that they were prepared and able to fulfil their academic potential and take the next steps in their educational journey. We are proud to be an inclusive school that gives all students an opportunity to increase their life chances and access competitive opportunities beyond school.”

Highfields students are continuing a track record of success, with two-thirds of students achieving A*-B grades, and 86% achieving A*-C grades. Several students are heading to Oxford and Cambridge, to study subjects including biology, economics, maths and English literature.

Deputy Head Peter Cole said: “Some students have faced extremely challenging circumstances outside of school but, despite this, have achieved outstanding results and as a staff group we are incredibly proud of them”.

Director of Sixth Form, Martin Flett, said: “One of the hallmarks of this year group has been an interest and enthusiasm for learning which, for many students, has taken them well

beyond what they need to know for exams. This has made classrooms a thought-provoking and enjoyable place for teachers as well.”

For a long time, more of our students have taken Maths A level than any other subject, and this year 75% of those students achieved an A* or A grade. Rebecca Brown, Head of Maths, said: “Students had formed an after-school maths club where they encouraged each other and teachers really enjoyed working with them”.

Liz Cruise, the Assistant Head of Sixth Form, said: “This year group has been fully invested in the wider life of the school community. They have taken the lead in designing and delivering lessons tackling challenging issues, including consent and relationships, where what they say has a real impact. They have led dance troupes and choreographed the school musical, listened to students who have been struggling and have been champions of inclusivity.

“They have been generous and proactive in using their initiative to make sure that younger students have fun and enjoy their time at school. We know they will continue in this spirit in their future careers and wish them huge success.”

It has been another successful results day for Heanor Gate Spencer Academy’s post-16 students, with lots to celebrate today. Pupils’ grades surpassed those achieved in 2019, before the pandemics. 46% of students taking A-levels have achieved the top grades (A*-B) and 47% of the Year 13 students enrolled on an ‘Applied General’ or ‘Vocational’ qualification.

Mr Jones, Principal, said: “We are extremely proud of our students. In really challenging circumstances during the pandemic, this cohort of students did not have the opportunity to sit their GCSE exams and we are really proud of how students managed their first set of formal high-stakes examinations. Their resilience, commitment and positive attitude has seen them achieve some remarkable grades.

Mr Graham, Assistant Vice Principal and Head of Sixth Form, said: “On behalf of the Sixth Form team I would like to pass on our huge congratulations to all Year 13 students. Echoing the sentiments from Mr Jones, we truly are immensely proud of what you have achieved and the resilience you have shown throughout your Sixth Form journey.

“Early indications are that this positive set of results has once again secured exceptional destinations for our students, with 90% of university applicants being placed at their first choice institution. We also continue our track record of securing highly competitive institutions and courses for students including Oxbridge, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

“As well as confirmation of traditional university places we are also immensely proud of seeing an increasing number of students this academic year go on to highly sought after

degree apprenticeships. Whatever your post 18 destination, we wish you all the best for the future and look forward to hearing about your progress over the coming years.”

The sixth form students at Swanwick Hall School, part of The Two Counties Trust, have achieved some excellent results which reflect the hard work and commitment shown throughout their studies.

The pupils will study an extensive range of subjects at university. These include architecture, history, geography, mechanical engineering, forensic science, fashion marketing, film and tv production, human biology and policing.

Amongst the exciting careers that students will be embarking on are apprenticeships in nursing, with Toyota, as personal trainers and laboratory technicians, as well as officer training with the RAF.

One of the most successful students, Joe Procter secured an average of grade A across his subjects thanks to his ‘relentless hard work’ and he will now study sport and exercise science. Brianne Adams and Millicent Ashurst achieved A* and A grades and they will now study psychology and human biology, respectively.

Jonathan Fawcett, Headteacher at Swanwick Hall School, said: “We congratulate our Swanwick Hall Year 13 students who are celebrating some excellent A Level results this year and also congratulate and thank their families and teachers.

“The diversity of the destinations and courses that they will now study at university and the employment posts that they will take up reflect both the strength and breadth of the curriculum offer within our Sixth Form and the quality of the support and advice offered by our team; these factors combine to ensure that Swanwick Hall students are able to pursue their ambitions with success.

“Their results are the outcome of seven years of hard work and are a recognition of the wonderful young people that our Sixth Form students are. We wish them the very best for their next steps, whether that be university, apprenticeship or employment, and look forward to hearing of their future successes.”

A student midwife and a future Oxford University student are among today’s A-level success stories at The Long Eaton School. Alice Oldershaw received a double distinction star and a distinction for an Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care, which wins her a place to study midwifery at the University of Nottingham.

Alice, who had wanted to train as a midwife since she started secondary school, said: “Since I was in year seven, when my auntie was pregnant with my cousin, I was really intrigued and wanted to be part of the birth. At that point, that’s when I decided I wanted to be a midwife.

“No-one in my family has been through a medical route. It’s a bit different from the rest of the family but something I want to try and give a go.”

In the meantime, Matthew Tebbutt secured a place at the University of Oxford and will study maths and computer science, thanks to A* grades for maths and physics, and As for chemistry and computer science. He said: “I’m massively relieved. That work has paid off over the last couple of years and I’ve managed to do it.”

Mark Shipman, principal at The Long Eaton School, part of Archway Learning Trust, said: “The Long Eaton School congratulates all Year 13 students on again a very successful year. Sitting their first set of formal school examinations our students have again performed well. The school is incredibly proud of their personal and collective achievements.

“Students leaving The Long Eaton School this year will go on to take up a variety of positions in employment, higher apprenticeship, or at university. We congratulate our students taking on degree apprenticeships with Rolls Royce, Balfour Beatty and Cooper Parry. Likewise, our students leaving us to study at Oxford, as well as various Russell group Universities including University of Birmingham, University of Sheffield and University of Nottingham.”

Students leaving The Long Eaton School this year are taking up studies in a range of disciplines including computer science, English, criminology, neuroscience, sports rehabilitation, midwifery, accounting, music and psychology.

Students at Eckington Sixth Form celebrated today as they opened their A-level and Level 3 exam results. The school’s results show significant improvement as average grades, point scores, and percentage of grades between A*-C are all better than those achieved in 2019.

Highlights across Eckington Sixth Form’s class of 2023 include a 100% A-level pass rate. 10.4% of the students were awarded with A* or A. and 34.2% of pupils achieved grades between A* - B.

Eckington students now head off to a wide range of destinations across the country including universities from Leeds and Sheffield to Manchester and Lincoln. They will be studying subjects such as maths and physics, psychology, quantity surveying, modern languages, screen writing, primary education and architectural engineering.

Headteacher, Richard Cronin, said: “I am enormously proud of our Year 13 students. The excellent results of these young people demonstrate that education really does offer a passport to the future, as they now go on to access a wide variety of future education and career paths.

“We will miss this group of students, who have had such a positive impact on the school, but their hard work and determination will serve as inspiration to future generations of Eckington Sixth Formers. We wish them the very best of luck in their chosen next steps and look forward to hearing of their successes in the future.”

Despite the disruption to their GCSE years due to the pandemic, students at Outwood Academy Newbold entered post-16 education with a fantastic work ethic and A-Level results day marked the culmination of their efforts.

91% of students achieved a Grade C or higher in Maths , and in the Art and Photography courses 83% of pupils achieved a Grade C or higher.

The vocational courses were equally successfulwith 92% of students achieving a Distinction or better in Business and 83% of students achieving at least 1 Distinction grade in their Sport qualifications.

Rob Southern, Principal at Outwood Academy Newbold, said: “These results are a testament to the great work that our students have put into their studies over the past two years. We are delighted that so many of them have achieved the grades that they need to move on to the next step in their academic or work journeys. I could not be prouder of the efforts that these young people have put into their studies and I enjoyed celebrating with them at the academy today.”

Students with most notable results include Daniel Boot, who achieved A*AA in Maths, Further Maths and Physics as well as Liam Chippendale and Louis Wright who both achieved three Distinction* in the Extended Sports Diploma. Liam will continue his Sports education at York St. John’s University and Louis is

heading to Leeds Beckett University to study Real Estate and Property Management.

Liam said: “It has been a pleasure studying at Outwood Academy Newbold, the staff have been so supportive and helped me to get my fantastic results. I’d just like to thank everyone who has taught me this year.”

Another student, Maryam Afzal-Khan excelled in each of her subjects, achieving an AAA in Law, Photography and Sociology. Maryam who has secured a place at Sheffield Hallam University to study Photography, said: “I am over the moon to have done so well, but a little surprised!”

Students studying Sociology achieved the highest grades ever obtained at the academy.

Principal Southern added: “We are delighted that this growing course is proving successful for all students and look forward to seeing how this area of the academy performs over future years.”

Julie Slater, Chief Executive Principal at Outwood Grange Academies Trust, added: “We extend huge congratulations to our students receiving their A-Level and Level 3

Vocational results today. Our students have worked so incredibly hard over the past two years and should be incredibly proud of themselves; we certainly are!

“Students have secured destinations which will lead to great future careers and we wishthem the very best of luck for their future studies and employment.”

Students at Mount St Mary’s College in Spinkhill are rightly celebrating excellent results for Summer 2023 - as grades are higher than last year.

All Chemistry and English Literature students achieved between A* - B in their exams this year while 70% of Maths students achieved A* - B.

75% of students who took the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) have achieved A* - A and all received A* - C. In the same time all Economics students graduated with grades from A* to C.

Headmaster Dan Wright said: “I am delighted that in a period where the press forecast significantly lower grades at the very top level, our performance at grades A* and A was actually higher than last year!

“Our CTEC students also performed exceptionally well with nearly half of all grades at Distinction level. My sincere congratulations to a cohort that has known so much disruption for their first set of public examinations!

“The College is enormously proud of the results achieved this year. It is testament to the hard work of their students and the excellent teaching that they have received in preparing them for today’s success.”