Eight A level students from one North East state secondary school are bound for Oxford and Cambridge Universities after breaking a record for Oxbridge admissions.
The result is the best ever for Emmanuel College, in Gateshead, which has built a reputation for producing Oxbridge candidates over recent years.
The confirmed places come as the college celebrates its best ever results, once again achieving a 100 per cent pass rate with 40 per cent of all grades being an A* or A and one in six being A*.
Two thirds of grades (66 per cent) were a B or better and 21 per cent of students achieved AAB or better in the most rigorous traditional A levels against a national average of nine per national in 2012.
The Oxbridge eight are:
Oxford University:
Olivia Bell – A* and 3As to read medicine
Louis Cabral – A* and 2As to read history
Andrew Cooper – 3A* and an A to read history
Michael Herries – 2A*s and an A to read engineering
James Soulsby – A*, 2As and a B to read law.
Cambridge University:
Jack Collier – 3A* and As to read natural science
Rachael Lally – 2A*s and an A to read geography
Elspeth Thomas – 3A*s to read modern and medieval languages.
Other top achievers were:
Top student James Wilson, who achieved a clean sweep of four A*s in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology;
Jess Leighton, Emmanuel College head girl, Gateshead Young Person of the Year 2011 and a chair of the Gateshead Youth Assembly, whose A and two Bs will allow her to fulfill her dream of studying medicine. Last year Jess, 18, of Felling, inspired cancer care professionals to use her findings from research she carried out at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre for a more extensive study into cancer related fatigue;
A further six students – Natalie Corbett, Matthew Dowens, Rosie Hewitson, Ezra Kitson, Peter O’Donnell and Catherine Whittock – who have secured places at other top centres including University College London, St Andrews University, the London School of Economics and Warwick University.
Principal Jonathan Winch said: “This year’s A level results at Emmanuel College represent a significant step forward from previous high performances in nearly every measure.
“We are especially proud that eight students are going to Oxbridge which proves that going to an inner city state school is no barrier to securing a place at internationally renowned universities.
“We wish all our students the very best as they embark on the next stage of their education.”
