At Monmouth Comprehensive School, students excelled with a galaxy of outstanding examination results.

Over 130 students were entered for A Level and BTEC qualifications and, building on the success of their AS levels and portfolio work, they have achieved even higher results (20% increase) this summer. Grades and pass rates were all above national figures, with nearly 30% of students achieving the top grades and 80% achieving A*-C. Students who took the Welsh Baccalaureate at Advanced Level achieved a 100% pass rate, with the majority of these students achieving A* and As.

On Thursday morning, there were smiles of joy and delight (as well as a few tears of relief) as students celebrated their success with parents and teachers. A number of students achieved top grades across all their examination courses:

The newly appointed Director of Sixth Form Studies, Mrs Caroline Guest, said how delighted she was with the work of the students and their determination to succeed. “I am confident that our students will leave with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to succeed in their next pathway and be successful in life. We take great store in nurturing well-rounded and confident young adults with ambition to achieve their best. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to working with our Sixth Form students and taking them, and the school, to even further levels of success”.

Headteacher Mr Davies praised the work of students, parents and staff in achieving such excellent results. Mr Davies said, “The students and staff at Monmouth Comprehensive School work hard to ensure the success of every child. Parents work closely with the school and support students at every opportunity. Our school provides a rich and varied programme of learning so that all can succeed. I wish all those students who leave us this September the very best fortune and look forward to hearing from them as they continue to lead their own lives”.

The school has recently set up an Alumni Organisation in conjunction with the charity ‘Futures First’. The organisation aims to keep former students in touch with each other, as well as inviting them back into school to coach, mentor and inspire the students of tomorrow. Further details about the MCS Alumni Organisation can be obtained by contacting the school. The school hopes to hear from all ex-students on life after MCS.

This September, students will be leaving MCS to take up a range of different pathways, from medicine to scenography, studying at university and college as well as taking up a variety of apprenticeships. Monmouth Comprehensive School offers a dynamic range of different courses that allow students to follow their interests and passions.

Monmouth School gained its second highest percentage of A* grades with 22.3% of all exams being awarded the coveted A* grade. 45.2% of exams were graded A* or A and four boys achieved an astonishing 4 A* grades with a further seven gaining 3A* grades.

The following pupils were awarded 4A*s and will take up their places at Oxford: Tim Beard to read chemistry, James Thatcher to read engineering, William Underwood, pictured below, to read mathematics and Ben Winchester to read physics.

Harri Bell-Thomas, Tom Blagbrough, Jamie Brown, Matthew Doyle, Jordan Wong, Joel Leeb-du-Toit and David Coulton all pulled off a hat-trick of A*s. Deputy Head Boy, Jamie, will take up his place to study English literature at King’s College, Cambridge. Ben Hope gained 1 A* and 3 A grades to wrap off a summer which also saw him win a national computing competition as part of team Buoy, alongside Harri Bell-Thomas.

A level pupils celebrated a glowing set of results at the three Monmouth schools last week (Thursday 13th August).

At the Haberdashers’ schools, the hard work and dedication of pupils and staff paid off with almost one in three students gaining all A* or A grades whilst Monmouth Comprehensive School excelled with a “galaxy of outstanding examination results”.

At HMSG, 53.7% of grades were A* or A - more than double the national average and the vast majority of girls gained access to their first choice university.

79.6% of grades were A* to B. Hettie Blohm gained 3A*s and 1A and will now take up her place to read German and Spanish at Cambridge.

While fellow pupil, Lizzie Rhodes will read classics at Cambridge having gained a remarkable 3A* and 3 A grades as well as being a Soduko champion.

Arianna Guppy had the distinction of gaining 3 A grades and was the stand-out player at the recent lacrosse world championships where she was offered a scholarship to study at the University of Delaware by a scout.

However, she will take up her place at Imperial College to study geology in September.

Dr Andrew Daniel, who has just taken up the post of Headmaster at Monmouth School, said: “Monmouth School boys can be hugely proud of the excellent set of A Level results that they have received today, and they have made my first week as headmaster a very happy one!

“The boys have worked extremely hard and made great progress in their final year in our chool, and I thank the hard-working staff of Monmouth School for their caring and expert support. No less than 29 boys achieved at least three A grades. It is particularly pleasing that many of our high performers have also achieved excellence in a wide range of other activities at Monmouth School, with leading sportsmen and musicians receiving many top grades. As our boys move into a wide range of exciting university courses they leave us as confident and assured young men.”

Mrs Caroline Pascoe, Headmistress at HMSG, said: “I am so proud of the girls’ results today. It is a huge relief when the hard work and dedication of staff and pupils pays off and the girls achieve their personal best, whether that is an A*, A, B or C grade.

“HMSG has achieved above and beyond the national average for A* - A grades across the board, including core STEM subjects.

“I cannot wait to see what the Class of 2015 go on to achieve as they set off to contribute to the world using their many and varied individual talents.”

AS Level results at both schools were the best in recent history, with almost 70% at A or B grade. This sets the scene for an exciting future for the pupils as they commence their final year at HMSG and Monmouth SchoolFor the full spread of pictures, see Page 2 of this week's Beacon.To purchase photographs, select the 'buy photos' option on this website.