Tremendous resilience shown by A Level pupils

Upper Sixth students and staff at Durham High School are celebrating their A Level results. This cohort of students experienced turmoil when their GCSE examinations were cancelled as a result of the Covid pandemic, resulting in these A Levels being the first formal public examinations that they have navigated. 

We would like to congratulate all of our students on their successes, with special mentions going to Jenny H, who achieved 5 A* grades and Amber M, and Lily F, who achieved a fantastic sweep of A* and A grades. 

This year, results are comparable to pre-pandemic years as Ofqual returned grade boundaries to align with 2019 results. 71% of pupils achieved grades A*-B, which is higher than 2019 and the 2023 national average of 52.7%. A third of all grades were A*-A, which is higher than both the North East average of 22% and the national average of 26.5%.  

The School is thrilled that the vast majority of students secured a place to read their chosen degree discipline at a university of their choice, including amongst others, Warwick, Newcastle, Loughborough, Liverpool, Southampton, Sunderland and Lincoln.

Our girls will be reading a variety of subjects including, but not exclusive to: Fine Art; Mechanical Engineering; Psychology; Ancient History; Aeronautical Engineering; Politics and International Relations; Mathematics; Animation; Biomedical Sciences; History; Digital Marketing and Law. 

Acting Principal, Mrs Michelle Hill, would like to congratulate all the students and staff for their hard work and resilience during such unprecedented times and sends her special thanks to all parents for their unwavering support of their daughters and the school.  

She said: “We are extremely proud of all our students’ successes, which highlight their dedication and determination to succeed. These results are very much deserved and we look forward to following the girls as they leave the High School and embark on the next phase of their journey to future successes.”