A'Level Success for Bishop Luffa Students

Six Bishop Luffa students managed something that every Olympic athlete attempts but few manage – to get the gold medal in every event that they enter. These six students scooped a remarkable 20 A* grades between them! Gwen Sargent and Max Sydenham achieved 4 A*s each, whilst Manka Vecsei, Jess Jameson, Alice Pendry and Dougal Rattray each achieved 3 A* grades. Gwen, Max and Dougal are all now off to Bristol University, which is proving to be one of the most highly sought-after universities for Bishop Luffa students. Manka will be taking up a place at Jesus College, Cambridge; Alice will be reading Natural Sciences at Durham University and Jess will be applying to study Medicine in 2025.

Bucking Trends

Many Bishop Luffa students are bucking a national trend by studying for degrees in Arts subjects, including Spencer Dixon, who is studying Musical Theatre at Italia Conti and Caitlin Waldron and Olivia Baggott, who are studying Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and Bath Spa respectively. Jamie Saunders, Bishop Luffa’s Head of Sixth Form, was not surprised that students were continuing with subjects that are seeing their numbers drop nationally. “At Bishop Luffa we believe in encouraging our students to follow their passions. We have kept courses running that are in danger of dying out in school Sixth Forms, such as Music, Dance, DT, Latin and German. Our students can choose from a broad curriculum, with 32 different courses on offer. This helps them when they are interviewing for universities and higher level apprenticeships, as the passion they have for their subject shines through.”

IT Apprentices

While these students were in Year 12, the school suffered a ransomware attack. Two Bishop Luffa students, Max Holben and Theo Lane, helped the Police investigate the attack and went on to win Chief Constable’s medals, one of the highest civilian awards. Max and Theo have now completed their A-levels and will be starting apprenticeships in IT in September. Helen Williams, Head of Computing, said ‘when the attack happened, Max and Theo were able to put what they had learnt into practice. This showed them that a more practical approach to learning suited them. We are starting to see more students valuing the apprenticeship route to a degree.’

Everyone Matters

Head Teacher Austen Hindman was full of praise for students whose future plans involve caring for others. ‘Our school motto is “always our best because everyone matters”. It is a source of deep pride to see that Manka Vecsei, Lucy Campbell and Ellie Collison will be studying Medicine, while Cassie Bailey and Bea Wason are studying Nursing and Midwifery respectively. We also have Olivia Ebbutt and Alice Roberts leaving to study Veterinary Medicine. These impressive young people already know that helping others, although tough, can be ultimately more rewarding than focusing on yourself.’

Mr Hindman went on to praise the year group as a whole: ‘These students have grown up with the pressure of social media, Covid lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis. It is hard enough to be a teenager without these extra burdens. They have shown resilience and empathy in their time at school and have been a pleasure to teach. As well as studying, they also raised over £25k for our school charities and many visited Tanzania in Year 12, where they were helping to build beds for children who had only ever slept on mud-floors. I wonder how many adults had achieved so much by the same age, and all while being told that they are “snowflakes”! We hope that they remain inquisitive and have no doubt that they will leave the world a better place than they found it.’