Ark St Alban’s Students Celebrate A Level Results
Students at Ark St Alban’s Academy are celebrating today after strong A level results secured their university places and study scholarships.
Friends Sufyan and Ruqayyah are having a double celebration after achieving 3 As and 2 A*s and a B (respectively) and are both going on to study Psychology at the University of Birmingham.
“This is exactly what we wanted!”, Ruqayyah said as the duo opened their results in front of BBC news cameras. “I can’t believe it – the exams were harder than I thought so I wasn’t feeling very confident. These results are just crazy!”
Malik Sheryar-Karamat is also celebrating after getting the grades he needed to take up his place on a sponsored undergraduate degree to study mechanical engineering at Birmingham City University after winning the Millennium Point Young Innovator Prize earlier this year.
Malik said, “I am so thankful that I can carry on my passion for mechanical engineering at Birmingham City University. I am very grateful to be given the opportunity, which will give me the chance to broaden my knowledge and expand my education and hopefully lead to a career in a science-based subject.”
This is the first year for A level results at Ark St Alban’s Academy after the sixth form opened in September 2013. Results are strong with 92% of students achieving three A levels or equivalent at A* – E, with an overall pass rate of 98%. The vast majority of students have already secured their university places, many at Russell Group institutions, with others going on to engineering and accountancy apprenticeships.
James Tomlinson, Director of Sixth Form at Ark St Alban’s, said: “We are delighted with this first set of A level results and that so many of our students are going on to university and have secured apprenticeships within their chosen careers. Many of these young people are the first in their families to go to university and they should be incredibly proud of everything they have achieved. I am confident that they are all going to be very successful in their future studies and careers, and that they are leaving Ark St Alban’s as confident, compassionate and highly skilled young people.”
Student Tayyaba is determined to achieve her goal of becoming a Chartered Accountant. Tayyaba, is the first Kaplan Scholar from Birmingham in three years and is just one of eight young people from across the UK to be selected for Kaplan’s prestigious Accountancy Scholarship worth £15,000. Tayyaba got A levels in Maths, Urdu and ICT, plus BTEC business level 3 and has already started her apprenticeship with Birmingham accountancy firm JW Hinks.
Tayyaba said: “I want to help people. Some people open businesses, a small shop for example, but they don’t really know how much profit they’re making, or how the business is performing one year after the next – because they don’t understand the finances. I want to help people to make their business a success – I don’t want them to open a business with great hopes and then fail. Accountancy is a core part of any business. I love being in a business environment and I’m really looking forward to starting work. I’m very excited about the future.”
Ryan Clewer secured the Marshall Wace Bursary which is awarded to talented Ark students headed for top universities, who might not otherwise be able to afford higher education. Ryan will be going to Sheffield Hallam University to study Accounting and Finance. Ryan will be the first person in his family to go to university.
Ryan said, “I’m over the moon! St Alban’s is a very supportive school – and they make you work hard! My teachers made me realise that I could go to university rather than leaving school and going straight to work. I’m really looking forward to starting at Sheffield Hallam in September.”
