It has been a momentous week across the UK, with many commentators declaring a new era, and this is certainly true for Westminster Academy’s Year 13 students who received their IB results on Saturday and who are now looking forward to exciting futures after completing their Sixth Form education. 

There is an overwhelming pride at Westminster Academy (WA) as it celebrates students’ excellent set of results and a host of university offers that reward the efforts of an extremely hard-working cohort of students. The Academy was delighted that the pass rate on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) was 98% (compared with a UK average of 94.6). The average score for the IBDP was 33 (out of a possible 45), which once again surpasses the world average of 30.32. Seven students achieved 40 points or above, and among the exceptional performances were Yuji De Vera, who achieved 44 points, and super sisters Eleni and Alicia Allan Padilla, who achieved 43 and 42 points respectively. Three students secured places at Imperial College London, with others gaining places at King's College London, Queen Mary University London, Manchester, Bristol, Warwick, Edinburgh and the University of California. Students opted for diverse courses that include Fine Art, Biology, Archaeology and Anthropology, Computer Science and Law.

Maryam Haman was excited to secure her place at King’s College London, after achieving 34 points. She said, “I’m so happy I got in. I’m looking forward to meeting different people, and the topics of the course I’ll be studying look really interesting.” Maryam will be studying Social Sciences, inspired by doing Anthropology as part of her IB Diploma. “I’ve enjoyed the variety the IB gives you. Doing Anthropology has really opened up the world to me.” Maryam reflected on her seven years at WA with a tribute to her teachers. “The teachers are so supportive at WA, they genuinely want to help you and genuinely go above and beyond.” 

As well as being awarded points for subjects in the IBDP, students receive grades for their Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge. The Academy was pleased to note that 21% of students achieved an A in Theory of Knowledge, compared to a historic world average of 7% in the subject. It is of particular significance to WA this year as from September, the Academy will be launching a Theory of Knowledge course for students in Year 7, ensuring students develop essential skills in critical thinking and evaluating information, and challenging students to reflect on how we know what we think we know.

Two students earned places on degree apprenticeships, which are famously competitive. Artem Pionov was up against 1300 other applicants for a position with BNP Paribas, so it is no surprise that he was happy to get a place on the Software Developer Technician Degree Apprenticeship: “I felt a real sense of achievement.”  Artem has always had a keen interest in programming and enjoyed learning it as a younger student. “The way I was taught programming in my early years at the school made it fun and engaging.” Artem’s focus and self-determination is impressive: since he was in Year 8, he has been programming outside of school and has dedicated time developing a portfolio which helped him to achieve this apprenticeship. When he starts in September, he is particularly looking forward to learning about risk IT. “I will need to grasp the concepts of risk management if I want to start my own company one day.”

The school’s International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) graduates were also celebrating their IB certificates. The IBCP cohort has received an impressive set of offers for universities around the UK, which include UCL, Queen Mary, Loughborough and Brunel. IBCP students study a blend of at least two IB academic subjects, the IB Core as well as a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma. At WA all students study IB certificates in English and Maths, and all continue developing modern foreign language skills. IBCP student, Hadil Mohamed studied IB English, IB Maths and BTEC Level 3 Applied Science. She points out, “The IBCP puts us in a better place than BTEC students, it has given us more opportunities and it will open more doors for us in the future. I think universities see and respect that.” Hadil has particularly enjoyed the Service Learning element of the IBCP. “It feels good to go out and help the community and the school.” As part of her Service Learning, Hadil volunteered at a local day centre for people with dementia. She said, “The first time I went it was nerve-wracking, but once we had gone a few times it was really nice. The people spoke to us about their lives. They are a different age group to us so we learned from them and we did activities together.”

WA students received their results at the same time as 192,867 other IB students in 156 countries worldwide. These students now join a community distinctive for the shared experience of a programme of education that aspires to develop well-rounded students with ethical responsibility, intercultural understanding, and attitudes and skills needed for both academic and personal success. Through the curriculum, Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) and the above mentioned Service Learning (SL) elements of the IB Core, as well as through extra-curricular activities at WA, over the past two years this cohort has enjoyed initiatives such as mentoring younger students, volunteering at a community festival, creating and curating their own art exhibition, visiting Auschwitz, and organising a social action conference for young people with the American School in London.

Principal, Dr Paul Wood, said, “I couldn’t be happier to see the success of this wonderful cohort of students.  It’s hugely important to all of us at WA that our students leave the school with more than just a great set of academic outcomes. This wonderful cohort will leave us not only with those outcomes, but also with ‘future-ready’ skills and fantastic experiences that I hope will open up opportunities to them in the future, and make them confident, open-minded citizens who approach the world with thought and compassion. I wish them all the best.” Dr Wood added his thanks to colleagues and the supportive network of parents, carers, sponsors, trustees and supporters who have contributed to the achievements of the Class of 2024 throughout their time at Westminster Academy.