Westminster Academy Year 11 students gathered this morning with teachers, parents and carers to celebrate a range of achievements which were all the more impressive after significant disruptions to their secondary education. 

The school community was delighted to see 75% of students achieve the benchmark 9-4 grade in English and Maths, with 63% of students receiving grades 9-5 in English and Maths. Teachers congratulated students on strong performances in core subjects: 71% of students achieved grade 9-5 in English Literature, 69% 9-5 in English Language and 67% achieved grade 9-5 in Maths. Of the students who took Triple Science, 100% achieved grades 9-5. 

Results were met with relief, emotion and, in some cases, surprise. Among the top performers was one student who achieved nine grade 9s plus a D*: Shahenaz Mahmoud Ahmed. Masum Hussain achieved eight grade 9s, one grade 8 and D*, saying, “I felt nervous last night but these grades were better than I expected; I’m really happy.” He puts his top grades down to working really hard over the past year and is now eying a future in engineering.

Tuba Tupela and Dua Gollaku expressed their relief after receiving their results, as exams had been dominating their thoughts over the summer, “We went on holiday and on the plane home all we could talk about were results.”  They recalled the time and work they had put into achieving their results, having stayed in school until 5.00pm or 6.00pm every day to study. “It was much easier to study in school; having teachers around helped so much.”  They are now looking forward to starting the International Baccalaureate (IB) at Westminster Academy. Dua is taking up a place on the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) and Tuba, who will be studying the IB Career-Related Programme (IBCP), is considering a similar future pathway to her brother, who is about to embark on a degree apprenticeship in quantity surveying after recently graduating from the IBCP at WA. 

In 2022 students sat the first external GCSE examinations for three years. The difference in the nature of assessment compared to 2020 and 2021, and the impact of the pandemic since 2019, mean that this year’s results cannot easily be compared with those of previous years, or those of other schools, however the Academy is happy that this year’s results reflect a history of excellent academic outcomes, and reward students for their hard work and resilience during the challenging conditions of the past few years. Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, student Jasmine Attit-Allah said, “We basically missed two years. My internet connection was quite bad so I couldn’t always hear online classes so I spent a lot of time revising in my spare time.”  Masum added, “Online school was challenging as we didn’t have the same resources, but the school managed to help us quite a bit, especially by providing Chromebooks which students at other schools didn’t necessarily have access to.” 

Also enjoying the celebrations today was Stephen Morgan MP, Labour’s Shadow Schools Minister, who chatted with students and teachers. He said: "It was such a pleasure to visit Westminster Academy this morning to celebrate with students getting their results. I met talented, ambitious young people excited about their futures and teachers buzzing with enthusiasm. The results today are a credit to you all. I wish students all the very best with their next steps and the best of luck to staff as the new school year gets under way."

Principal, Dr Paul Wood was full of admiration for the successful cohort: “These students approached the exams with exceptional commitment and maturity and it’s a privilege to witness them enjoying their success today. Beyond exam certificates they should feel immensely proud of all that they have achieved over their five years at Westminster Academy. I must also pay tribute to the parents and carers who have supported students, particularly through long periods of remote learning, as well as to their teachers who delivered a full timetable of online lessons and support from their own homes at that time. It was a wonderful whole-community effort.”

The school added its thanks to the other colleagues, sponsors, trustees and link organisations who have provided significant support to Year 11 throughout their time at WA.