A-Level Results Day 2024: Live updates as students in Downham Market, Fakenham and King’s Lynn find out grades
Hundreds of students across West Norfolk have today discovered their A-Level results, which will open the gateway for university or their chosen career.
Students at Downham Market Academy, Fakenham Sixth Form, and King Edward VII (KES) Academy, Springwood High School and The College of West Anglia in Lynn all get their results today.
Check back here for live updates as we find out how they have got on.
King Edward VII (KES) Academy, Lynn
Students and staff at a Lynn sixth form have celebrated an “outstanding” set of A-Level results with 65% of all grades at A*-C.
Officials at King Edward VII (KES) Academy Sixth Form have said they are “delighted” to have achieved another year of Level 3 success.
This includes a 100% pass rate in the Sport and Physical Activity course with an average grade of Merit.
Students in Health & Social Care did even better, achieving an average grade of Distinction.
These results mean that this is the sixth successive year that once again 100% of students achieved a place at university, an apprenticeship or full-time employment.
Alistair White, head of sixth form said: “We are extremely proud of our Year 13 students. We all become incredibly invested in every student’s future and we understand first-hand how hard they have worked to get where they are today.”
He added: “I am equally pleased that we have once again supported each one of our students in achieving their next step. We wish them all the very best for the future - we can’t wait to see what it holds for them.”
Fakenham Sixth Form
Relief was the main feeling for the Year 13s at Fakenham this morning as A-Level results showed an improvement on previous years.
Laura Marshall-Smith, head of sixth form, said she is “really proud” of her students and staff for achieving fantastic results, which she confirmed were better than years gone by.
“The progress the sixth form has made is unrecognisable.
“We are going onto bigger and better things each year which is fantastic.”
She added: “We’ve got more applications for next year and our results just keep getting better and better.
“Parents and students are really happy and it’s nice to be able to be proud of that.”
Downham Academy Sixth Form
Students and staff at Downham Academy’s Athena Sixth Form College are celebrating some excellent A-Level results which have quickly become their best ever.
Teachers said students have enjoyed “being known as individuals by their expert A-level teachers” - and the staff are very proud of all their achievements this year.
Mark Eastwood, the school’s head teacher, said: “We are really proud of all the students - their hard work over the last two years has really paid off.
“It is usually quite a nervous time, but yesterday when we came to download the results we were not nervous because we knew they worked really hard and they would get what they deserved.”
College of West Anglia, Lynn
There was much to celebrate at Lynn’s College of West Anglia as hundreds received their A-levels, T-Levels and vocational qualification results.
Some 25% of A-level students secured a grade B or higher and 99% secured A*-E passes.
Additionally, 86% of T-level takers in the areas of Education and Early Years, Health and Adult Nursing, Business Management and Administration earned top grades.
Kerry Heathcote, CWA vice principal, said: “I am very pleased that the efforts and hard work of our students and teaching staff have been rewarded with robust grades across A-level, T-level and vocational subjects.
Springwood High School, Lynn
There were big smiles at Springwood High School this morning after another “outstanding” A-Level results for one of the largest sixth forms in Norfolk.
Close to one-fifth of students gained an A* or A grade and just under one-half of students gained an A*-B grade. Springwood's STEM subjects also did particularly well again this year with 20% gaining A*/A.
“This is another outstanding year for our sixth form students," said executive head teacher Andy Johnson.
"They have all worked so hard with their excellent subject teachers and tutors and it is great to see their hard work paying off. Springwood continues to provide an excellent academic sixth form for Norfolk."
Norfolk County Council offers its congratulations
Cllr Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for children's services at Norfolk County Council, said, "Congratulations to the students receiving their results today, you should all be proud of what you’ve achieved.
“For any students who did not receive the grades they hoped for, please rest assured that there is lots of support and advice available to help you consider your next steps.
“I wish you all the best of luck in the next chapter of your life, whether that is university or stepping into the world of work.”
Advice from Ucas and Ofqual bosses
Students waiting for results have been advised to explore all options and plan ahead to put themselves in the “strongest position” by Ucas and Ofqual bosses.
Pupils have been told there will be “plenty of choices” in clearing – which matches applicants to university places yet to be filled – if they miss out on their expected grades.
The “normal” arrangements for grading will continue for GCSEs and A-Levels in England this year, Ofqual chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham and Ucas chief executive Jo Saxton said.
A letter from the heads of the exams regulator and university admissions service said: “This means that a student who would have achieved a certain grade last year should be just as likely to achieve that grade this summer.”
A-Level and GCSE results were brought back to pre-pandemic levels in England last year.
It came after Covid-19 led to an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.
The letter from Sir Ian and Dr Saxton said students can put themselves in the “strongest position” by exploring all the options available to them and “planning ahead of results day”.
It added that students will receive an email from Ucas on A-Level results day specifically “tailored” to them which will set out possible next steps and options they may want to consider.
Clearing is available to those who do not meet the conditions of their offer on results day, as well as those who did not receive any offers.
Students who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use clearing.
Last summer, former Ucas boss Clare Marchant said the competition for university places was expected to increase every year due to a rising number of 18-year-olds in the population.
The letter from Sir Ian and Dr Saxton said: “If you want to keep your options open or do not get the grades you were expecting, there are still plenty of choices in clearing.
“Last year, around one in five of accepted applicants achieved or exceeded their predicted grades. Yet over 80% of UK 18-year-olds applying to Ucas secured a place at university or college.”
It added: “Clearing offers choice and flexibility to all students, regardless of whether you receive predicted, better or lower grades.
“A record 39,620 UK 18-year-olds secured a place using clearing in 2023. This year, there will be tens of thousands of choices on offer.”
