In a year when fewer A* and A grades have been awarded nationally, an outstanding 21 per cent of our students achieved the equivalent of one A or A* and two Bs to win the accolade of Norfolk Scholar.

Due to Covid, the A Level exams had been the first the cohort had been able to sit since they had taken their Year 6 SATS – which made their results all the more impressive, with several students securing places at prestigious universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Manchester and Durham.

Travelling further afield to continue her studies, Merissa Lawrence became one of only two students nationally from the state sector to win a fully-funded scholarship to Harvard in the USA, with her A*AA grades gaining her a place to read maths and economics at the famous Ivy League college.

“I was quite happy when I received my results, as it means I can go to university next week,” said Merissa, who will spend four years at Harvard and starts an international orientation at the beginning of September.

“It’s been great at Springwood, and the teachers have been very supportive, especially as I wanted to go down a different route.”

It was also a bumper year for students securing places at medical and veterinary school, all of whom had previously taken leadership roles in Springwood’s Medicine Programme.

Roger Livesey, Chair of Trustees said: “These students have overcome all the challenges of the pandemic to complete their sixth form studies and sit the first public exams since they were in Year 6. We are very proud of them.”

Among those receiving top grades were Aidan Faulks with A*A*AC, who will read maths, physics and chemistry at Cambridge; Eleanor Burton (A*AA) who will study biology at Oxford; and Annoushka Chandrasekar (A*A*A) who is also heading to Cambridge and will study medicine.

Other high-fliers included Fatima Massawi, who achieved three A*s to gain a place to study medicine at Manchester; George Willingham, with A*A*AA, who will also study medicine but at Newcastle; Elise Clayton (A*ABB) who will read law at Durham; Alex Caldicott (A*A*A*) who will study maths and finance at Manchester; Izzy King (A*A*A) who will study veterinary medicine at Harper & Keele; Alfie Basham (A*A*AA) who goes on to Imperial College London to study mechanical engineering; and Izzy Wright (A*A*A) who will study fine art at Norwich University of the Arts.

“Honestly, I was so shocked,” said Fatima. “I was so pleased when I opened the envelope and saw my results. It feels like we’ve been waiting all summer, and it’s such a relief that the day is finally here.

“I’m really excited about going to Manchester – nervous too, but looking forward to it. It’s a long process but hopefully I’ll become a doctor at the end of it.”

“I felt good that I did really well,” said Alex. “The time at Springwood went by really fast. It’s definitely been a good experience and I’ve made some good friends.”

We have also continued to support students who choose high-level apprenticeship routes.

With ABC grades, Josh Fysh will take up a position with air traffic control at Norwich Airport, while Joel Espley (BBB) begins a software engineering apprenticeship at Mercedes; Laurie Meads (BBC) will study accountancy at BDO; Josh Gray (BBD) will study engineering at Palm Paper, and Henry O’Shea will join Network Rail to also study engineering.

“Many of these students took advantage of the full range of enrichment opportunities on offer at Springwood Sixth Form, including our programme for Early Applicants, quality work experience and support accessing internships at multi-national companies in London, and fully-funded voluntary experiences in far-flung countries such as Cambodia, Thailand and Peru,” said Jamie Warner-Lynn, Director of Sixth Form.

“They have worked hard with their teachers to overcome the challenges of the Pandemic, and they have all made fantastic progress. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them.”

Executive Headteacher Andy Johnson added: “This set of results is testimony to the hard work of both our students and staff. We are very proud indeed.”