Jamil Choudhury and Mariya Ahmed

THERE were tears of joy at Regent High School today as the sixth form celebrated better A-level results compared to 2019, when students last formally sat exams.

The sixth form in Chalton Street said the number of students achieving grades A*-C in all their subjects soared from 50 per cent in 2019 to 85.7 per cent this year. It represents just a 3 per cent drop compared to last year, when teachers awarded grades to pupil’s based on their predictions.

Pupil Jamil Choudhury was ecstatic with his results. However he has been put off the idea of going to university and will be embarking on an apprenticeship.

He said: “When I was young, I always had aspirations to go to university. But as I got older, I found education less enjoyable. I saw the stress my sister went through at uni and I thought ‘nah I don’t need that. I’m on the apprenticeship path.”

Mr Choudhury got two Bs in history and philosophy and a C in maths. Beaming he told the New Journal: “I’m way too happy right now. I can’t stop smiling. I’m just hugging every single person I see.” 

“It was our first proper exam. So it was a major difference. Nothing could prepare you for it,” he said. 

“Maths was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. For most of this year and last year I was getting Ds and sometimes even worse than that. So that last month I put in so many hours. It just shows that hard work pays off.” 

His friend Mariya Ahmed was also ecstatic to learn she will be studying history at King’s College University. 

She achieved an A* in sociology, A in psychology and B in history. “I’m speechless. I feel so shaky,” she said. 

Ms Ahmed said staying on for sixth form at Regent High School was a big help. “If you go to a different college, you wouldn’t be able to focus on actual school because you’d have to develop relationships with teachers and get to know them,” she said.

Paola Lopez will also be studying at university, after doing better than expected in her double business CTEC diploma. A CTEC is equivalent to a BTEC, but awarded by the Cambridge examination board.

Paola is applying to study International Business at the University of Westminster through clearing

“I thought I was going to get D*D, which is equivalent to A* A in A-levels. But I got a D* D*, which is an A* A*,” she said excitedly. She was particularly pleased because she found studying at home halfway through the first year of her course difficult.

Sumayya Ud-Seen also found studying from home “really stressful” and said she “lacked a lot during that period of time”, which lasted for about four months. 

Sumayya Ud-Seen

However, she was really happy with her results: a distinction in IT and business BTECs and a C in Sociology, her favourite subject. She will now be studying digital marketing at the University of Westminster.

Deputy head teacher Josh Deery was over the moon with the “outstanding” A-levels the school had achieved.

“Over half of our students have got their first choice of university. Under teacher assessed grades (TAGs), people would have said those grades have shot up at Regent High School that must just be because of TAGs. But we’ve got the same results this year under exams. The jump happened because of years of hard work,” he said.