A-level success in Darlington, North Yorkshire and Teesside

For the class of 2023, this is the first set of national exams they have undertaken – their GCSE examinations fell within the turbulence of the Covid years – but have triumphed, with many students in the North East and North Yorkshire attaining the top grades.

As well as a raft of top grades and personal bests, students from the region are set to take a diverse array of next steps – with many schools reporting that a record number of their students have secured top degree-level apprenticeships.

Carmel College in Darlington will see two of their top students - Evie Keeley and Leo Mercy – undertake high-level apprenticeships.

Evie attained an A* in Maths. Though it may not have come as a total surprise (“numbers have always been my thing,” Evie explained), the 18-year-old is over the moon to have secured an apprenticeship with leading accountancy firm Mazars in London.

A*s in both Maths and Further Maths, and an A in Physics, was more than enough for brainbox Leo to secure a degree apprenticeship in data science with the Office of National Statistics, which is now based in Darlington.

The 18-year-old, of Darlington, will be based at the town’s new Economic Campus and he will study at York St John University.

In North Yorkshire, studious Mia Barnett revised for her A Level exams whilst living in a caravan with no running water. The Ripon Grammar School student shared the caravan with her younger sister whilst pitching in to renovate the family home – a derelict farmhouse near Bedale.

In spite of the less-than-ideal conditions, Mia has achieved two A*s, a B and a C to win a place at the University of Edinburgh to study fine art.

“I’m absolutely delighted and can’t wait to go to Edinburgh now,” said Mia, who, along with her sister Lily shovelled muck, stripped roof tiles, ripped out carpets and kitchen units and shifted countless wheelbarrows full of rubble during the renovation work on the uninhabitable 17th-century building. 

Ukrainian twin sisters, Diana and Sofiia Shypovych from Cherkasy in Central Ukraine achieved A*A*A* and A*A*A respectively in their A levels.

Not knowing what lay ahead for their country, the sisters joined Harrogate Ladies’ College in September 2021 to study for their A-levels.

Only a few months later, war broke out, and the twins found themselves isolated from their parents, unable to return home, and studying for their A levels. 

But the pair have overcome – and managed to balance studies with fundraising to help the defence effort in Ukraine and provide aid to refugees fleeing the conflict.

Teesside student Sam Jackson, who has studied his A-Levels in Darlington, has been bursting with pride after his stellar results have secured him a place at the University of Oxford.

Sam Jackson from Ingleby Barwick had his childhood dreams realised this morning (August 17) when his outstanding A-Level grades confirmed his place at the prestigious St Hugh’s College.

After gaining 3 A*'s and 1 A grade at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Sam will be off to Oxford this September to study Mathematics. 

Nationally, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades is down on last year but still remains above pre-pandemic levels. More than a quarter (27.2%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, down by 9.2 percentage points on last year when 36.4% achieved the top grades.

However, this trend is not reflected in our region; North East and Yorkshire are the only two regions of England where the proportion of A-level entries awarded the top grades is lower this year than in 2019.

In north-east England, 22.0% of entries were awarded grades of A or above this year, below the 23.0% recorded in 2019, while in Yorkshire & the Humber, the figure for 2023 is 23.0%, compared with 23.2% in 2019.

The contrast is most striking with parts of southern England, particularly in London where 30.0% of entries were awarded A or A* this year, well above 26.9% in 2019, and in the South East (30.3% in 2023, 28.3% in 2019).