A-LEVEL students at Alton (Convent) School celebrated their results on Thursday with a Champagne reception.

A toast was raised to another successful year of academic results with students achieving a 100 per cent pass rate and two-thirds of them receiving top A*-B grades, with the overwhelming majority sailing into their first choice university to read a breadth of subjects from international relations at Exeter and psychology at Cardiff to music at Royal Holloway and biology at Bristol.

Congratulating his students, headteacher Graham Maher expressed his delight that students who chose a BTec route achieved 100 per cent Distinction* which attracts the highest UCAS points.

Equally impressive, said Mr Maher, was a 100 per cent A*-B pass rate for the extended project qualification - a rigorous qualification based on independent learning and research which provides essential preparation for university.

Pleased that the girls’ effort and hard work had been rewarded, Mr Maher added: “This sets an excellent standard as we look forward to welcoming our first cohort of boys to the sixth form of Alton School in September.”

Meanwhile, Havant & South Downs College, which is scheduled to merge with Alton College next April, has continued to achieve outstanding A-Level results as a united college.

The college has secured an excellent overall pass rate of 98.5 per cent, with 51 per cent of students achieving A* to B grades or equivalent and nearly a quarter achieving the toughest A*/A grades or equivalent.

Having just celebrated its first birthday as a merged college, there is a sense of jubilation that the high grades achieved by its students remain excellent.

Principal Mike Gaston said: “I am absolutely delighted with these outstanding results at the end of our first year as Havant & South Downs College.

“It has been quite a year of change and our staff and students have responded tremendously. Congratulations to all our students for their resilience, determination and success and to our teaching and business support teams for their dedication and commitment to excellence.”

Our successful merger shows that we are stronger together in being able to offer not only an A-Level centre of excellence, but also an outstanding vocational provision including the new T-levels.

Mr Gaston continued: “We wish all our students well whatever their destination and indeed look forward to welcoming some 4,500 students to the college in the next couple of weeks to start their own successful journey.”

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