A-level results 2019: Find out how schools fared across Black Country and Staffordshire
Students in the Black Country and Staffordshire are breathing a sigh of relief today as they receive their A-level results.
The anxious wait is over as sixth-formers across the region find out if they've secured the grades they want for their future plans.
National figures show the proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has fallen to the lowest for more than a decade.
Girls narrowly clawed back the lead from boys in terms of A* and A grades, although boys still outperformed their female classmates in the highest result.
For the first time, there were more entries for A-level science subjects from girls than from boys.
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The shift comes after a major push in recent years to encourage girls to study science and maths-based subjects.
In total, 25.5 per cent of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, the lowest proportion since 2007 when it was 25.3 per cent.
Results across the region
This page will be updated with results from across the region throughout the day. Please refresh for the latest version.
Wolverhampton
Highfields School students in Wolverhampton achieved a 100 per cent pass rate – with 73 per cent of them achieving A* to C grades.
This year has also been the most successful in the school's history for university applications, with 123 students offered university places, including one at Cambridge.
Steve Pycroft, head of sixth form, said: “We are incredibly proud of our A-level students. They have achieved fantastic results, with more students than ever before being successful with their university applications.
“The students have worked incredibly hard during their time at Highfields and fully deserve their rewards. I wish them the very best of luck for the future.”
Wolverhampton Grammar School achieved a 100 per cent pass rate for all its A-level students, with a third of students achieving A* to A results.
Language students at Our Lady and St Chad Sixth Form, in Wolverhampton, are celebrating a 100 per cent pass rate among students.
Five students achieved an A* or A in Spanish or Italian, while the majority of students achieved an A* to B.
Ash Kumar, who lives in Low Hill, picked up a merit in BTEC business, distinction in applied science and an A in A-level Italian.
And now the 18-year-old, who is originally from Italy and moved here five years ago, is set to study business at Nottingham Trent University.
He said: "I'm very proud I've got into Nottingham Trent studying business. My parents are over the moon - they are proud of me. It's a reward for my hard work."
Meanwhile, Keene Nathan, who lives in Heath Town, studied in BTEC computing, BTEC applied science and A-level geography.
The 17-year-old picked up a distinction in computing and distinction* in applied science - and a C in A-level geography.
"I'm doing computer science at Aston University so I'm proud to get a distinction and I'm confident I can do well on the course," he said.
Students at Ormiston SWB Academy in Bilston achieved a 5 per cent increase on the previous year for grades A* to E.
Principal Rod Hughes said: “We are excited to celebrate some wonderful results with our students today – I am so proud of what they have achieved.
"We are thrilled for our young people, their families and their teachers who have helped to contribute to this success.
"We have our highest ever percentage of students progressing to university which is excellent news, we wish them all well on the next stage of the journey, whatever that might be.”
Tettenhall College saw 25 per cent of pupils achieve A*, A or B in all of their subjects, with the majority of students also gaining a place at their first choice university.
Headmaster, David Williams said: “Tettenhall College has come a long way in recent years and we pride ourselves on our academic success, but also in knowing that our pupils gain a truly all-round education, which enables them to enter university and the world of work with confidence and optimism."
Headteacher of Colton Hills Community School, Alberto Otero, said: “Congratulations to all our students who after two years of hard work have been rewarded with some excellent results.
"We are extremely pleased with our A-level results and our students deserve every success as they move on to the next stage of their career."
Abena Adu-Boateng and Sian Uppal at Wolverhampton Girls' High School got A*s across the board, while Anya Burakowski and Abigail Yates both had three A*s among their grades.
Headteacher, Trudi Young said: “We are very proud of our girls’ accomplishments.
"This has only been possible as a result of their personal dedication and determination."
St Edmund’s Catholic Academy had 23 per cent of its students getting at least one A* or A, while Ormiston NEW Academy improved by 12 per cent for students getting grades A and B and a 26 per cent increase for A to C.
Wednesfield High Specialist Engineering Academy had a 100 per cent pass rate across all subjects with 29 per cent of all grades coming in at A* to B.
Walsall
Staff at Bloxwich Academy said that their students have surpassed all expectations – with 42 per cent of all entries with the top grades of A* to B or equivalent. Forty per cent of their students are now holding offers of places at Russell Group universities.
Headteacher Andy Seager said: "I am extremely proud of the fantastic outcomes and superb destinations our year 13 students have achieved this summer. To see so many accessing one of the top universities in the country shows how far the academy has come.
"All credit to our staff and students who have worked extremely hard to reach these standards.”
Barr Beacon School has seen almost one-fifth of grades at A*/A or equivalent.
Head Teacher Lynsey Draycott said: “We are very proud of our students.
"They are progressing to a wide range of exciting courses and destinations: medicine, nursing, criminology and law.
"Our students’ choices reflect their individuality and we are delighted for them.”
Principal of Pool Hayes Academy, Phillipa Harris, said “Our sixth formers have performed superbly this year and it is especially pleasing to see students achieve top A-level grades."
Students and staff at Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy in Walsall are celebrating a strong set of exam results today, with several students achieving places at leading universities.
More than half of entries achieved the higher grade boundaries of A* to C.
Around 80 per cent of pupils at Aldridge School are heading off to university after today's results.
Grace Academy Darlaston principal Carl Salt said: “Again, our hardworking staff and students have proved that hard work and resilience pays off.
"I am pleased to say that many students have been successful in getting onto their preferred University courses to pursue their chosen careers. We wish them well for the future.”
Dudley
Bishop Milner Catholic College has seen three quarters of all students achieving top grades in their chosen subjects.
Subject performance has exceeded previous year’s results with 18 subjects achieving a 100 per cent pass rate.
The college has hailed the work of Mirindar Sangha who secured three A* grades in mathematics, chemistry, physics and an A grade in EPQ.
Niamh Gibbons achieved two A* grades in art and design and film studies with a B in English literature.
Chloe McColgan got a A* in biology and 2 A grades in mathematics and chemistry and Kiran Badyal achieved an A* in EPQ along with three A grades in mathematics, biology and chemistry.
Ellowes Hall saw a 96 per cent pass rate with 24 per cent of students getting an A*/A or equivalent.
Leasowes High School had a 100 per cent pass rate, with 14 per cent getting an A* or A and 48 per cent getting A* to C.
Every student doing an A-level in French received an A* or A.
Students at Dudley College had a 99 per cent pass rate, with 75 per cent achieving grades A* to C, a seven per cent increase on last year.
King Charles I School in Kidderminster achieved its "best ever" A-level results when students made the anxious walk into school today.
Headteacher Stephen Brownlow said: “I am delighted for the students.
"These record breaking results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students and staff.
"Over the last two years it has been a pleasure to see students and staff working together to produce this tremendous achievement.
"The students deserve credit on their studies and the staff tremendous credit for their professionalism, skill and dedication.
"We are pleased to see so many students securing apprenticeships or places at university. I am very proud.”
At Crestwood School’s Invictus Sixth Form in Kingswinford, three quarters of grades were between A* and C, with 23 per cent an A or A*.
The top performing students were Sarah Caswell and Chloe Downing, who have both been accepted to do a BSc in Psychology at Birmingham City University, and all students who were offered a university place have either accepted or deferred them to Sept 2020.
An overall pass rate of 99.3 per cent delighted staff at Halesowen College, where Principal David Williams said: “I would like to congratulate all our hard working students and thank the staff who have supported them during their time at Halesowen College.
“It is particularly pleasing to see that we have achieved our best results to date for maths and science as nationally, achievement rates have fallen in these subjects.”
Among those off to university is Lyndsay Park who achieved As in sociology and religious studies and a B in psychology and will study philosophy and theology at the University of Bristol.
King Edward VI College in Stourbridge had a pass rate of 99.4 per cent with 82.9 per cent achieving A* to C grades.
The college also had a 100 per cent pass rate in 25 subjects.
Sandwell
Renesha Hodgson will become the first student from Phoenix Collegiate in West Bromwich to study at Oxford after strong results saw her accepted to read law.
Meanwhile Marceli Krol is off to the University of Birmingham to study computer science after getting two A*s an A and a C.
Headteacher Mike Smith was chuffed with 96 per cent of Phoenix grades hitting the pass mark.
He said: “I am delighted to see so many of our students celebrating today after gaining excellent grades and fulfilling their potential. For many of them it is the culmination of two years of dedication, determination and hard work.”
Ormiston Forge Academy in Cradley Heath is today celebrating another strong set of A-level results.
Over a quarter of entries achieved A* to B grades and 91 per cent achieved three or more A-level passes at grades A* to E - with a 100 per cent pass rate in all subjects.
Principal, Dr Lisa Mason, said: “The strong partnerships we foster between staff, students and their families have paid off resulting in outstanding levels of achievement and success for our students.
“Teachers and students alike have really focussed their efforts on moving their grades up, so that the hard-won C grade or merit can be just as fulfilling as the top result.
“These results are the effort of hours of hard work from students and I’d like to congratulate our students and students up and down the country who are now planning to continue their education or enter the world of work.”
The vast majority of students have also had their first choice of university places confirmed.
Headteacher of Wood Green Academy, James Topham, said he is "incredibly proud" as the school saw an increase in top end grades.
Central Sixth in West Bromwich saw a 99 per cent pass rate and were "very pleased" with the outcome.
Principal, Dr Matt Lamb, said: “We are very pleased with the results, today is always a day of high drama. Everyone is very nervous, excited, but students have done extremely well."
At Windsor Sixth Form in Halesowen, 40 per cent of grades were A* to B and 70 per cent were A* to C, with the average vocational grade a distinction.
Keith Sorrell, CEO of Windsor Academy Trust, said: “Well done to all Windsor students and I hope that these excellent results have allowed you to move on to the career path or university of your choice.
"My congratulations also to all of the Windsor staff and leaders for their hard work, skill and commitment over the last two years that has led to such a happy day!”
Meanwhile staff at Health Future UTC in West Bromwich High Street said they were celebrating the college’s best A-level and BTEC results yet.
Principal Ruth Umerah said: “I am extremely proud of their achievements. The results this year follow a great deal of hard work and commitment from students and staff and reflect the changes that have been implemented and the quality of teaching and learning.”
At George Salter Academy in West Bromwich, more than half of the grades were between A* and C.
Individual success stories included Simran Sambhi, who got As in geography, psychology and sociology, and Mahima Azad, who is off to study law at the University of Aston after getting a double distinction and a distinction* in business studies and law respectively.
Principal Adrian Price said: “Given the increased rigour and changes to post-16 courses it is wonderful that our students have risen to the challenge and achieved highly. We are delighted that, for example, over half of the students who sat the maths exam achieved B grades or higher. Elsewhere there were exceptional results in humanities, law, performing arts, psychology and sociology.”
Staffordshire
Students at Cheslyn Hay Academy were celebrating as 16.5 per cent of all grades gaining the highest possible result of A*/A – with 35.1 per cent of all results at grades A* to B.
Nicky Crookshank, Cheslyn Hay headteacher, said: "The results are tremendous. The students and staff who worked alongside them should be extremely proud.
"We send our congratulations to all the students and wish them the best as they embark on the next stage of their career."
While Brewood's St Dominic's Grammar School headteacher Peter McNabb said everyone was "delighted" with their students' results.
He said: "The school’s A-Level results are consistently good, and we are delighted to have continued that excellent standard again this year. The students have worked incredibly hard to achieve such good results."
Kingsmead School in Hednesford has seen twice as many students achieving AAB or above than ever before and 68 per cent of students achieving an A* to C grade.
Head of school, Mrs Maria Mincher, said: "Performance in a range of subjects across the arts, humanities and sciences demonstrates that our pursuit of excellence in quality first teaching and pastoral support is generating impressive academic outcomes.
"We are also proud of our links with local and Russell group universities and are making use of our association with Oxford as a hub school, to provide our students with the best opportunities to flourish nationally after Kingsmead”
Cannock's Chase Grammar School had 10 per cent of its students apply for places at Oxford or Cambridge.
Their top candidate, Cherry, achieved four A*s in maths, further maths, physics and chemistry.
Overall, the school achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with 13 per cent A*.
Stafford's Sir Graham Balfour School had 30 per cent of its grades come in at A* or A, with nearly 85 per cent of all grades at C and above.
Almost half of results at Walton High School came in at A*, A and B.
Blessed William Howard Catholic High School celebrated a "remarkable achievement by achieving an average grade of B- among its students, where 10 per cent achieved an A*.
Stafford Grammar School had 65 per cent of all students achieving A* to B, with a 100 per cent pass rate.
Almost 90 per cent of students received all grades A* to C.
Headmaster, Lee Thomas said: "These results are an excellent achievement.
"The consistent hard work of the students, the commitment and dedication of all the staff, and the support of parents throughout the two years of A-levels has allowed our students to fulfil their academic and personal potential.
"I am incredibly proud of all of them."
Cannock Chase High School saw 100 per cent of students pass their A-levels with more than 70 per cent moving on to university.
Great Wyrley Academy had 66 per cent of all grades at A* to C, with a 99 per cent pass rate overall.
At Wombourne High School's Invictus Sixth Form, near Wolverhampton, 72 per cent of grades were between A* to C and more than a third were A or A*.
Singled out for praise by Invictus staff was Luke Baynham, who is off to study maths at Oxford after notching A* grades in physics, maths and further maths and an A in Chemistry.
Director of Invictus 6th, Jane Kendrick said: "The hard work and dedication of our wonderful students and committed teachers has resulted in our students gaining places on highly competitive courses at some of the most prestigious universities in the country such as Oxford, Birmingham and Warwick. As they embark on the next chapter of their education, we wish them well and look forward to hearing about their future successes and career plans.
Head teacher of Cardinal Griffin Catholic College, Michael Burrowes, said: “I would like to congratulate the students on their successes over the two years.
"As the new A-levels become established, the students rise to the challenges that they face. They are well prepared for the next stage in their lives whether in higher education or in employment.”
Our reporters were at schools across the region this morning as the results came in:
Other results:
Some students had further to travel than others to pick up their results.
Half of the pupils at Thomas Telford School in Telford are bused in from the Black Country each day for their lessons.
Part of the constitution of the selective state school is that 50 per cent of students come from the Wolverhampton area.
Friends Lydia Carter and Anna-Maria Wake, who both studied biology, chemistry and maths, were relieved to have been accepted into university.
Lydia’s results mean she’s been accepted into Cambridge University, while Anna-Maria will be off to her first choice, the University of Nottingham, in September.
“I was just screaming, I just couldn’t believe it, at first I thought maybe there’s something wrong and I was really worried to get my results, but thankfully it’s all good - I got two A*s and an A," Lydia said.
Anna-Maria added: “I got three As which was much better than what I thought. I came in and thought I’d definitely get Bs.
“I logged in this morning and saw I had been accepted. I was shocked more than anything as I didn’t think I was going to get the grades. I’ve worked much harder than I even thought I would.”
And Newport Girls' High School (NGHS) has reported "fantastic" results, which saw students achieve nine per cent more A* to B grades than last year.
In English, further maths, religious studies, German, French and art, 100 per cent of students achieved grades at A* to C.
Almost 80 per cent of students are now heading to their first choice university, with four set to attend Oxbridge universities.
Headteacher Michael Scott said: “This cohort also contained a large number of students who joined NGHS in our Sixth Form and they have made positive progress when their GCSE scores are taken into account.
"Their successes have only been possible through the dedication, determination and hard work of our students, the close relationships with parents and encouragement of our professional staff."
Haberdasher's Adams Grammar School in Newport had a 99.8 per cent pass rate across their A-levels, with 75 per cent of results grades A* to B.
Headmaster Gary Hickey said: “We have seen some fantastic results once again - 45 pupils have achieved an A* or A grade in every subject, 13 pupils have successfully managed a clean sweep of A* grades in all three of their A-levels and two have achieved four straight A* grades; a wonderful achievement."
