STAFF and learners at Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan in Abergele are celebrating what the delighted head teacher says are an “exceptionally good” set of A Level results.
Lee Cummins says the results are a “significant improvement” on last year and have seen almost all the school’s sixth formers achieve two or more good A Level grades.
Mr Cummins, who has been head of the school since early last year, said: “We currently have 260 learners, which is the largest number in the sixth form we’ve ever had.
“It’s fantastic to see them progress from Year 7 to Year 13 in the school and to make such marvellous progress.
“I’m delighted that they have been able to take such a positive step in their learning journey.”
Mr Cummins added: “I would like to thank parents, learners and our staff at the school for their continued support which has ensured the fantastic progress which has been made.
“This is an exceptionally good set of results and everyone concerned can be justifiably proud.”
One of the school’s success stories is 18-year-old Daniel Williams, from Rhuddlan, who defied the odds to achieve a good set of results.
A debilitating illness kept him away from school for a good part of the year but, despite this, he ploughed on with his studies and has notched up three A grades in biology, chemistry and maths.
The results will enable him to continue with his ambition of a career in dentistry.
Daniel said: “I’m very pleased with the results which I’ve managed to achieve despite having to take quite a lot of time off from school.
“I’d like to thank staff at the school for helping me so much over the year.”
With A grades in Maths and Welsh Baccalaureate plus a B in Physics under his belt, 18-year-old George Goodall from Kinmel Bay is one of the successful learners from Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan heading for university.
He said: “I’ll be going to Cardiff to study computer science but I’m not sure at this stage what my career will be.
“My results are better than I expected and I’m very happy with them.”
Also bound for university thanks to her B grades in Psychology, ICT (Information Communication Technology) and the Welsh Baccalaureate is 18-year-old Bethany Jones from Kinmel Bay.
“I’m going to Manchester University to study criminology and psychology with the aim of becoming a psychologist,” she said.
“I’m really happy with the results which are better than I expected.”
Another Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan learner is Rohit Basu, from Abergele.
Although he achieved three A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and Physics last year they weren’t at the grades he expected, so Rohit, 19, decided to take time off from study and has spent the past year working as a volunteer in Vietnam and India.
Returning home in January, he re-sat his A Levels and was overjoyed to learn that he has achieved B grades in biology and chemistry which means he has now been accepted to study for a career as a pharmacist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.
A delighted Rohit said: “When I didn’t get the grades I needed last year it was a bit disappointing, so I decided to take time off to do some travelling.
“While I was in Vietnam I did some voluntary work in a small village just south of the capital, Hanoi, where I helped to build an extra classroom for the local school.
“Later, I moved on to India where I volunteered in an orphanage, helping out with odd jobs.
“I came home and began studying again at the start of this year and it was all very worthwhile because I now have the right grades to get into a very good university.
“It was hard going but I managed it thanks to all the help I got from the school.”
