Published: August 16, 2012

by ALICE HUTTON, PAVAN AMARA and DAN CARRIER

SIXTH formers are celebrating an Olympic-style gold rush of top A Level grades after another high performing year for Camden's state schools.

 

The New Journal was at the gates today (Thursday) to meet pupils and hear their stories of exam success.

 

While some are off to Oxbridge and other high profile universities, some said they could not afford to go.

 

At South Camden Community School, teenagers started arriving around 10am.

 

Roxanne Halil, 18, from Hampstead Road, got a distinction for her Sports Science BTEC.

 

She said: “I want to be a PE teacher. You can make a difference with teaching, my teachers here have inspired me to do the same for others. It's practical because you can always get a job as a teacher, and I've always loved sport. I was so nervous that I haven't eaten since yesterday lunchtime.”

 

Taylor Marie Shannon, 18, hopes to organise music gigs and events in future after getting distinctions in a Performing Arts and Music BTEC national diploma.

 

She said: “My dream would be organising something like the Brit awards, and there's no reason I can't do that now. I was so scared –I haven't slept for about two days."

 

Mahfujur Rahman, 18, who wants to be a journalist, said: “I respect expressing myself through writing, I think it's a way to change things."

 

Ninety-nine per cent of students passed their exams and 40 per cent got As, A*s or distinctions.

 

At Camden School for Girls, 44-per-cent got A*-As and 15.5-per-cent walking away with A*s, compared to last year's 13-per-cent. The pass rate for A*-E was 99.5-per-cent.

 

A double success came in the form of identical twins Amber and Ruby Evans, 18, from Spitalfields.

 

Ruby is off to Glasgow University to study English and History following an impressive set of results with A*, A and B in English, Politics and History.

 

Her sister Amber has her heart set on becoming a doctor and will retake some of her exams after achieving an A, B and C in Politics, Biology and Chemistry, before applying to university to study medicine.

 

Ruby said: “I had no idea what to expect as History was a really hard exam. A topic we all studied hard just didn't come up so we were all panicking a little bit. But it has all worked out, I am just really happy that I got into the university I wanted.”

 

Amber added: “I would really love to become a doctor so I will re-take my Chemistry exams I think and keep my fingers crossed for medicine.”

 

Sadie Levy Gale, from Holloway, will read English at Wadham College, Oxford University, after gaining two A*s and one A in English, History of Art and History.

 

She said: “I'm really shocked to be honest. And just so, so happy. These kind of results are just a dream. I'm really looking forward to going to Oxford.”

 

Friends Najat Jebari, 18, and Louisa Terry, 18, both from Camden, scooped the same top results of an A* and two As.

Najat, who studied English, Psychology and Media, said: “I'm going to study Law at The School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS]. I honestly thought I was going to fail- my mum was so surprised as all I told her was that I had done really badly."

 

Head-teacher, Elizabeth Kitcatt, said: “We are so happy to have improved upon last year's results and it shows just how hard they all worked.

“I think it is down to commitment from the students, excellent teaching and support from those at home.

“If you have all that trinity students can do amazingly well- and do.”

 

At LaSwap, Hannah Solomons, who studied Maths, Physics and History, has taken the tough decision not to apply for a university course.

She said: “The huge rises in fees means I can't really go to university. The cost has really put me off. There is a risk that you go to university, study for three years, get yourself ￡50,000 in debt and then find because of the state of the economy there is no job going anyway. You may as well not waste those years and try and get some experience instead."

 

She hopes to get an apprenticeship in the finance industry, which will mean earning a wage immediately.

Friend Letticia Irvine, who spent the summer as a volunteer for the Olympics and was in the opening ceremony, studied chemistry, biology and history.

 

She said she was looking forward to starting a nursing degree at City, adding: “My course is funded by the NHS – you get a bursary and a guaranteed job at the end of it. That was a big factor.”

 

Tunji Olukosi was celebration results in Business studies, ICT and RE that means he will now be able to go on and study computer science at Brunel University.

He said: “I worked hard and got what I needed.”

 

For Zack Spitzer, despite gaining good grades, the world of work beckons. He said: “I want to get into the music industry, do something music based, and so I'm going to look for work in music venues and see what happens.”

 

His friend Furat Aziz is reaching for the stars – literally. He said: “I want to study astro-physics.”

Headteachers at LaSwap – a consortium of La Sainte Union, Parliament Hill, William Ellis and Acland Burghley – congratulated pupils for a "high progression rate to prestigious universities all over the country."

 

Two students Fiona Tahta-Wraith and Harriet Ensor – are off to Oxbridge.

 

Headteachers Jo Armitage, Sue Higgins, Sam White and Maureen Williams said: "Students have shown dedication to their studies and their school communities and provided strong role models for younger students. There are numerous individual success stories – many of which show young people’s capacity to achieve against the odds – and LaSwap students have places at all the UK’s most prestigious universities."

 

Overall, the A Level pass rate was 98 pet cent while the AS level pass rate was a 87 per cent.

Students at Haverstock school jumped for joy as they celebrated a 100-per-cent A-Level pass rate.

The hard work of the pupils at the Chalk Farm school paid off as they opened those all important envelopes to discover that 13-per-cent had achieved A*-As, 31-per-cent had A*-Bs and 56-per-cent A*-C grades.

 

Hampstead School had the best exam results for the third year in a row, with the A*- C pass rate up to 79%. "The vast majority of our Year 13 students have been accepted into one of their chosen universities," a school statement added.