Former students of the St Aidan’s and St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form are reaping the rewards of their hard work as they celebrate their A Level results and look ahead to new challenges. Figures released by UCAS show that over 350 students in the Association are planning to enter Higher Education this year, with 53% of these students looking to secure places at Russell group universities.
There’s a definite northern bias in students’ choices, the most popular universities being Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Durham and Northumbria. Seven students have secured places at the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge this year having survived the pressure to attain the highest possible grades. Two students are heading to the United States for their studies, including one to Dartmouth College in the Ivy League. In another prestigious and competitive area, eight students have gained places to read medicine or dentistry for 2017, with a further sixteen looking to move on to allied health care degrees including physiotherapy, midwifery and occupational health.
The Association has an outstanding reputation also for the Performing Arts and in a particularly talented cohort, 18 students from the current year group have been successful in gaining places at fiercely competitive specialist drama or music colleges and conservatoires. Of particular note is former Head Boy of St Aidan’s, Nic Cain, who has secured a scholarship to study at Laine Theatre Arts College.
For some students, university is not the preferred destination immediately after A Level and many have planned horizon-broadening gap year trips, often working with volunteering organisations in developing countries. Other members of the Associated Sixth Form have gained places on apprenticeships for next year: Connor Mulhall, who was a member of the Sixth Form Student Committee at St Aidan’s, has secured a prestigious apprenticeship in Project Management with O2 Telefonica and others are embarking on careers as varied as accountancy, hotel management, joinery, quantity surveying and health and fitness instruction. One former student is even training to be a sommelier!
Following the publication of another outstanding set of results and former students’ celebrations Rob Pritchard, Head of St John Fisher, and John Wood, Head of St Aidan’s, expressed delight at the destinations of the year group, noting that students are being increasingly thoughtful in deciding on the best routes post-18 and benefiting from expert guidance in school in this process. “It is really gratifying that the work students put into their applications, with the support of the Careers advisors and Senior Tutors in the Association, has spurred them on to such great results and impressive opportunities going forward,” said Mr Pritchard.
