Jubilant students ace A Level results ahead of £20m campus redevelopment

JUBILANT students paid tribute to Coleg Cambria after achieving record-breaking A Level results.

The college’s Yale campus today (Thursday) secured a 99% overall pass rate, the best in its history.

It has been an incredible year for the Wrexham site – with plans for a £20m redevelopment on the horizon – and the future looks even brighter.

Among those receiving results were Lois Darlington, Blythe Hallam, Eleanor Barlow and Esther Abelian, who will all go on to study Medicine at university.

Esther, a former pupil at Ysgol Clywedog, was delighted with her three A*s and two As and plans to take a gap year before attending the University of Central Lancashire (UCL).

“We are all thrilled with our grades and were awake very early this morning staring at our phones waiting for the emails to arrive!” she said.

“I’m going to take some time out and do medical research before going to university, having really enjoyed my time at Cambria.

“I’m so pleased, it’s unbelievable but I got what I had hoped for an am looking forward to going forward and working in the fields of science and research.”

Chelsea Humphreys, previously a pupil at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd and Cambria’s current Welsh Language Student of the Year, was “over the moon” with her two A*s, one A and one B.

She now plans to take a degree in Law at Chester University, and said: “I was shocked when I opened my results but am so happy. My family are delighted and we are all really glad I came to Cambria because there is so much support and I’ve been given so many opportunities.

“I’m looking forward to university and hope to one day become a detective. Probably because I watch so many TV programmes like CSI! I’m so pleased, it’s brilliant.”

Dominic Mitchell, Joe Boycott and George Wilbraham all grew up together at Ysgol Rhosnesni, and the latter two will go on to study together at Bath University.

Dominic achieved three A*s and begins a degree in Engineering at Durham this September, while Joe (two A*s and one A) studies Chemical Engineering and George aims for a career in senior management having received three A*s.

“I’m now going to study Business and hope to one day be on the board of directors or even running my own company,” said George.

“I would like to thank everyone here at the college, it’s been a great experience.”

One student who sadly couldn’t be there was Chisaki Yamaguchi, who was visiting family in Japan when she opened her results and found she had got three A*s.

Chisaki will return in the coming weeks to start a degree in International Relations at London School of Economics, and thanked Cambria for giving her the platform to succeed.

“I am so happy with my scores and believe the strong support I received from all of the staff at the college played a big part – thank you.”

Others celebrating at Yale were Owen Kelly, formerly of St Joseph’s High School, who goes on to study Computer Science at Warwick after garnering three A*s and two As, and another former pupil of theirs, Jobina Thomas.

Jobina is thrilled with her four As and looks forward to beginning a degree in Geography at Durham University.

“I would love to eventually study human geography and work for the United Nations, that’s my ultimate dream,” she said.

“Coleg Cambria has played a big part in making that a reality; I loved it, my teachers were fantastic and I would like to thank them for everything they did for me.”

Cambria’s Chief Executive David Jones joined the students in Wrexham for a celebration this morning (Thursday) and said he was “immensely proud” of their contribution to the institution’s best-ever results, including an overall 94% pass rate at AS Level.

“Well done to all of the students, it’s an amazing day for the college and we are all thrilled to have improved on last year’s figures,” said Mr Jones.

“To be here to share it with them is a special feeling, and for our staff to see first-hand what an impact they have made through their hard work and dedication.

“We have set the bar high but that’s the Cambria way; it won’t be easy to top this record-breaking set of results but that’s what we will aim to do.”

For more on Coleg Cambria, visit www.cambria.ac.uk.