Andrew Parkin, principal of St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, in north-west London
At St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, around 650 young people received their A-level results today. Principal Andrew Parkin, tells Tes that 17 per cent of its results had been downgraded. This, the principal hopes, will mean most students can move on to their first- or second-choice options. Despite that, he says there were “a lot of anxious students who feel they have not been awarded the grades they were capable of”.
Staff have been on hand to support students over the phone and on email, and many students had contacted the college through those routes.
His overriding emotion today has been “a lot of happiness” for his students, he says. “A lot of students got fantastic grades that allow them to go on to the next part of their education journey, but also quite a lot of students who feel that the process has not served them very well and that their grades are perhaps lower than they would have achieved had they been allowed to sit their exams.”
He says the sector now has to wait for further guidance from Ofqual on the recently announced “triple lock”, with many students keen for a review of their grades and for their mock grades to be considered. “We need to wait to see what the guidance is, and that has been very difficult,” Mr Parkin adds.
He is concerned about those students who did not receive the grades they were hoping for and were unable to come into college for face-to-face support. “It is not an ideal situation we find ourselves in. Pastoral care is one of the strengths of our college and not being able to do that face-to-face has been difficult. But we have had a lot of tutors in and a lot of senior leaders are here, so we have had a busy day supporting students. It is harder to do that remotely,” Mr Parkin explains.
“The next few days we will have to look further at how things are playing out in terms of university and Ucas admissions and where there are gaps, but I am delighted that we have got some fantastic results, and results that are really reflective of the commitment of the students at the college. That is really something to be celebrated.”
Mr Parkin adds: “We need clarity on the next stage of this process - so clarity on mocks and an expansion of detail on the triple lock and what that means for our young people. If we could have that information as quickly as possible, that is really important.”
Yvonne Kelly, principal and chief executive of Barking and Dagenham College, East London
Ms Kelly says her students’ BTEC results, also published today, were broadly in line with what she expected. Just over 270 students received BTEC results today, with others at the college receiving other vocational qualifications.
“It has been very different. Normally, the students would be around, celebrating, enjoying the sunshine with their friends. Our results are quite good and in line with we were expecting. In some cases, they are actually better. There will be some very happy students who really smashed it,” she says.
The grades have been an accumulation of the work done across the full length of the two-year course, the principal says. Maybe in part because of that, she had found students to be optimistic in the run-up to results day, looking at a range of options, including university, apprenticeships or further training. “They knew what trajectory they had been on. The issues are where they are borderline,” she explains.
“The message now is ‘there are options’. It is about what advice and guidance we can give them, and to get them to look further than the qualification.”
Naomi Dardai, BTEC student, City College Norwich
Naomi Dardai, 19, today got the results of her BTEC in health and social care at City College Norwich. Her results, she beams, exceeded her expectations. “I did better than I expected, which is great. I already have a job, but I am looking to move into an apprenticeship now, so I think these grades are perfect for that,” she says.
Ms Dardai says she received her results early this morning via email. “Everyone was at home, I didn’t see anyone. We have a group chat and so everyone was saying ‘good luck’, and eventually all of us got their emails and we were all happy with what we got.”
“Everything is different because of the pandemic,” she explains. “This year has been a bit special because we have all gone through something so difficult, so it is a relief to get our results. It is the end of our course and we all get to move on to what we want to do.”
“I was pretty confident in my results because before lockdown, I tried to do everything to the best I could, and I wasn’t too worried because our teachers took care of us really, really well. I know a lot of A-level students were a bit worried, because, for them, it is different.”
“It was 8.50am when I got the email - I didn’t expect it so early. My first emotion was relief because it has just been so long and this whole period has been so stressful with no one knowing what was going on. Seeing the results was a relief for me.”
“I am a healthcare assistant, but I am on the bank, I am everywhere around the hospital, I pick and choose. Coincidentally, tomorrow, I am on the cardiology ward, and that is where I would like to be contracted. To continue with the apprenticeship, you have to be contracted, so I might mention it the ward manager or ward sister and see what she says. For me, that would just count a lot.”
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