Best ever results in 'tough' exams

Following excellent A-level results in local schools, one headteacher has hit back while another defended standards and students' and teachers' efforts, describing present examinations as 'challenging'.

Ms Christine Wright, head of Ysgol Bro Gwaun, Fishguard, said: "I am quite angry about the comments rubbishing the A-levels. This creates feelings of anger and frustration at the chalk face. Staff and students work very hard to improve standards and throw-away comments based on ignorance and ill-thought-out remarks damage progress in state education.

"We have had excellent results, with high grades across all subject areas. The students are preparing to take well deserved places in prestigious universities, including Oxford, and medical schools in Wales and across Britain."

Top students were Sara Cannon, who had three As and one B in AS, who will go to Pembroke College, Oxford, to study English; Sian Deason, three As and one B in AS, Pembroke College, Oxford, to study history; Nia Morgan, four As, to Imperial, London, medicine; Fern Beaumont, three As and one B at AS, medicine at the Welsh College of Medicine; Ben Cull, three As and one B at AS, biomedical science at Durham; Carl Lewis three As and A at AS - computer science York University; Marie Paine, three As and an A at AS - physiology at Leicester; Fflur Rees three As and an A in AS - history at Exeter; Jessie Bissett, three As and an A at AS, psychology at Exeter.

Mr Chris Noble, head of Greenhill, Tenby, said: "We are very pleased indeed with yet another set of best ever results. We had 11 students who got straight As out of 91 entries. Our students have worked hard on challenging exams. The results are a real triumph for the students, the parents who have supported them, and the teachers who have taught them."

Mr Noble said he did not like singling out the best students, as all had done their best and achieved good results.

Mr Martin Lloyd, head of Ysgol y Preseli, Crymych, said: "Our results were really excellent. The overall pass rate was 99% A-E, the A grades 40% and A-C 85.7%, which are well above the national average and I am very pleased with this success.

We have a number of individual students who have done exceptionally well - Jessica Brown (Hebron) three As; Dylan John (Crymych) four As; Bleddyn Rees (Penffordd) four As; Michelle Davies (Crymych) three As; Steffan Davies (Llandissilio) three As one B, Claire Jones (Crymych) three As; Jemma Collins (Clynderwen) four As.

Mrs Pamela Munday, head of Milford Haven School, said: "I am delighted. We have had another really good year, more or less the same as last year, when we had our best results ever.

The pass rate was 40% and five students had three, four and five As each. One student is going to Oxford and another to Cambridge. The top students were: Marko Cosic, five As and one B; Sam Williams, five As; Victoria Pritchard four As and one B; Ben Stalbow, four As and one B; Matthew Boselli ,three As and two Bs; Jayne Springer, three As and one B Mr Chris Jones, head of Tasker Milward School, Haverfordwest, said: "The results have been very good and we are all very pleased. The majority of pupils got into their first choice universities."

Headboy Andrew Martin achieved four As and is going to Cambridge to study chemical engineering, and David Watkins, who had five As, is also going to Cambridge to study maths. Rose Allen who got three As will study history in Cardiff.

Mr Geoff Davies, deputy head of Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, Whitland, said: "Our results have been a great credit to the students and the professionalism of the staff. "Most students are going on to higher education this year."

Top students were Helen Paine (Martletwy) three As and a merit in special biology paper, who goes on to do pharmacy at Bath after a year out, and Eleanor Rees (St Clears), three As, international business at Manchester.

At Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi, headteacher Dr Griffiths said: "It's been a good day for pretty well all of our students. The overall pass rate for GCE and VCE examinations was 98.8%, with 73.5% of the successes being in the A - C range.

Particular success was enjoyed by Joanna Giles, of St Dogmaels, who gained four A grades in chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics and will go to Oxford University to study molecular and cellularbiochemistry. Ysgol Dewi Sant pupils (left to right) Gareth Jones, Dorian Rees and Richard Garrett all got the grades they need to get into university.

Gareth is going to Gloucestershire, Dorian is heading for Bristol and Richard is bound for Cardiff. Results day at Ysgol Dewi Sant went 'very well', said headteacher Mr Walter Dash. "All those who applied to university have places, which is the prime concern today," he said. "Most of my pupils will be going to their first choice."

Pembroke School students Jonathan Hughes, who achieved three A grades, Michael Morris, William Davies and Nathan Willis, finally get to breathe a sigh of relief after picking up their results last Thursday. Pembroke School headteacher, Frank Ciccotti, praised students and staff after he revealed a pass rate of 96% in this year's A- level results. Highlighting a number of outstanding individual performances, he described his pupils' efforts as 'another very positive set of results'. He also expressed his delight that 'improvements in pupil performance have been sustained'. Mr Ciccotti said almost all students had gained entry into the university of their choice and almost 20% of Pembroke pupils achieved straight A and B grades.

At Pembrokeshire College, Lucie Griffiths (right) gained 4 As and will study psychology in Cardiff, and Jessica Sutton (left), of Neyland, who gained two Bs and a C, plans to study journalism at Southampton Institute. Jessica, who has cerebral palsy, was delighted: "There are obviously things that can be difficult for me but I had done more than I expected," she said. Pictured with them are Karthik Nagaraj, of Pembroke, who had 2 As and a B and is going to Manchester to study business; Rhiannon Furbear of Cardigan, with 3 As and a B who goes to the University of Kent, Canterbury; Sophie Sheppard, of Johnston, 2 As and 2 Bs who will study natural sciences at Birmingham, and Gwen Lewis, who has 3As and a B in her AS exams.

College principal, Mr Glyn Jones, was delighted with the results. "We had a 97% overall pass rate - better than the Wales and UK averages - and 70% A-C. "There were some outstanding individual performances," he added. Faculty manager Sian Thompson said: "The results bode well for our move to the new Advanced Level centre, where all the A-level staff and students will be housed at the start of term. Heading for Cambridge to study medicine is the college's A-level student of the Year, Louise Anning, of Lawrenny, who gained all A -grades and already had an A-level and AS under her belt.

Fifty-two Pembrokeshire students had an agonising 24 hours wait for their A-level results on Thursday. An electronic breakdown left pupils of Sir Thomas Picton School, Haverfordwest, in limbo as results in chemistry, physics, ITC, physical education and sociology were missing. Headmaster Dr George Davies said: "There was a chronic communication problem between our system and the OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) system. "There was a whole variety of problems and errors which resulted in the corruption of data. Grades were missing and some pupils had not been included on the lists. "I felt for the students. But the results came through on Friday and it was a huge relief for them, for us, and for everyone."

There were fears some pupils might lose out on their university places. But Dr Davies said: "As far as I am aware, no-one has missed out on the universities of their choice. Some universities did want confirmation from the school, and others accepted the word of the students. The results are now on the OCR data base." The incident cast a shadow over the school's outstanding results. "We should have been celebrating our best ever results with a 98.3% overall pass rate and 74% A-C rates," said Dr Davies. "We had some outstanding individual results with several students going to Oxford and Medical School."

"Hi Mum, I've got four As. I can't believe it," said Sir Thomas Picton School pupil Anita Vasfalcao, of Narberth, who had Grade As in A-level chemistry, biology, maths and art. Her father was at the school with her to hear the news. After a year out, during which Anita will be going to India to see family for a few months, she will study medicine at Edinburgh University.