A-level results day: Long Road Sixth Form College

Gold star success is how A-level results at Long Road Sixth Form College have been described.

Staff were full of praise for students, whose learning was disrupted by the Covid pandemic, but results were significantly higher than those gained in 2019.

Top achievers include Rosie, with two A*s and two As, and Bailey, with one A* and two As. Rosie is off to study nutrition at Nottingham University after taking a gap year.

“My advice to new students starting in September is don’t stress about making friends, just be friendly and don’t be afraid to talk to people,” she said. “To the students moving up to Year 2, I would say start making a revision plan early, so you know what you’re doing and reduce stress.”

Bailey has accepted a place to study law and American law at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

“My favourite thing about Long Road is that the teachers are all really friendly and everyone, staff and students, actually calls each other by their first name. All the staff are easy to chat with and quickly build up supportive relationships with you, which means if you ever need help it's easy to ask,” he said.

Another high achiever was Jess, who achieved a stellar Distinction* in graphic design, A* in chemistry and A in mathematics. Jess is now setting off on a gap year. Upon her return, she hopes to start a career in dentistry.

Millie, who scooped one A* and two As, and will be heading for the University of York to study sociology.

“Everyone here is so supportive and always happy to help you whenever you need it,” she said.

Hope was celebrating achieving an A* in religion, philosophy and ethics - and two As in sociology and psychology. She has accepted her place to study social policy at Bath University.

A spokesperson for Long Road Sixth Form College said: “We were dazzled this morning by the exam results achieved by the Long Road Class of 2023, which can only be described as gold star success. “We are so very proud of our students today. Everyone will remember that for the class of 2023, this year’s A-level and applied exams were the very first they had taken because of the Covid disruption to GCSEs.

“Yet through their individual resilience and hard work, and with the encouragement and support of our skilled teachers and progress coaches, our students have achieved a truly wonderful set of results this year.”