Wyke - Top 10% of Colleges and School Sixth Forms

As the new academic year approaches, I have thought long and hard about how I should begin my first blog of the year: perhaps a quote from Bobby D, Sixto Rodriguez or even mention of my beloved Leeds United. No! There is only one place to begin.

Congratulations and a heartfelt Well Done to all of our students, parents and staff for the amazing success that has been achieved by their hard work, sacrifice, support and commitment.

Our results are exceptional: 99.5% pass rate at A2 level; 93.6% pass rate at AS level; a fourfold increase in the number of A*s at A2 level to 85; 49% of our students achieving A* - B grades at A2 level; the largest number of Distinctions and Distinction*s on our BTEC courses. This also means that there has been a substantial increase in our average points score per candidate and per entry. National data indicates that our College is now amongst the top 10% of Colleges and School Sixth Forms, nationally. Wow, how brilliant is that? It confirms that provided that students who come to Wyke are prepared to work hard, listen to the advice and guidance offered and to get involved in all that our College has to offer, there is no limit to what can be achieved. I genuinely believe that we have some of the best teaching staff in their subjects and that combined with the other support that students receive and our superb facilities, we have the recipe for outstanding success. Behind the statistics, there are so many individual success stories: all of our Oxbridge students have been successful; so too in all of our medics and vets: some of our students are the highest achievers in comparison to any National successes. Our “partner” organisations that have previously “re-interpreted” the official performance league tables and may have spread misinformation about Wyke, BEWARE. There is no hiding place now.

Clearly, we are proud of all of our students and every student’s success has a ‘story’. I would like to mention just some of our highest achievers. Calum Barnett and Lydia Edwards (previously Kelvin Hall); Lydia Bloomfield to read Veterinary Science at Cambridge (ex-Longcroft School); Conor Fowler to read natural Sciences at Cambridge (ex-Kingswood High School); Louise Smith (ex-Malet Lambert); Harriet Hobday (ex-Beverley High School); Alex Worrell to read English at Oxford (ex-Hull Collegiate); Millie Bardsley (ex- Hull Collegiate); James Clark (ex-Hymers); Riley Wong (ex-Newland School for Girls); Alice Fairless (ex-Hessle High School); Sol Yi Nam (ex-Hull College); Jacob Phillipson (ex-Cottingham High School); Jennifer Railton (ex-Kelvin Hall); Ian Parr (ex-Winifred Holtby); Ashleigh Davidson (ex-Driffield School); Leanne Burton (ex-South Hunsley School); Christina Tarbotton (ex-South Hunsley School)Hollie Dearing (ex-St Marys); Harry Jarvis (ex-Beverley Grammar); Birgul Onay (ex-Sydney Smith); Katazyna Vaikovska (ex-Endeavour); Amandeep Kaur (ex-Malet Lambert); Rebecca Howman (ex-Malet Lambert); James Ireland (Sirius); Ruth Hill(home educated); Charlotte Green (ex-Hessle High School). We are so proud of all of our students.

Enjoy the remaining holiday to our prospective students, and remember, don’t be put off by what you may hear second hand. Come and judge for yourself. As ever, just as I am very optimistic at the start of each football season for my beloved Leeds United, I am extremely confident about our College success.