Record-breaking #ResultsDay at Brighton College

A new A-level record was set at Brighton College with an incredible 294 grades at A*, the grade reserved for the highest performing pupils in the country. Overall, 42% of grades were at A*, which compares to 8% nationally.

In a remarkably talented year, 20% of the cohort sitting the exams got three or more A*s, and 125 sixth formers gained A*/A in every subject they sat.

Head Master Richard Cairns said: “This was a year group whose company I hugely enjoyed and will greatly miss. They were slightly quirky, wonderfully colourful and just a little bit irreverent. They never took themselves too seriously and they wore their ability lightly. That modesty makes me even more proud that it was they who have broken our already impressive A-level record.”

Languages were one area of notable success at a college which has long led the way in offering less widely-taught languages such as Russian and Mandarin. All pupils who took Russian and Mandarin Pre-U, a qualification that aims to develop skills for degree study, got the equivalent of A*/A. This was matched by everyone studying Spanish A-level.

Among those celebrating were:

Jessica Olliver, who was born profoundly deaf, and is now a Deaf Ambassador campaigning for disability rights at a national level. Jessica secured A* in Philosophy, A* in Maths and A in Politics, and is going on to study International History and Politics at Leeds.

The Heap triplets: Alice, James and Thomas

Having gone through their studies together, the talented siblings notched up nine A*/A-levels between them. Now they will go separate ways, with Alice going to Nottingham to study History, James heading for Bath to study Architecture, while Thomas plans to take a gap year.

Luc Smith combines academic brilliance with top sporting talent, playing for the U18 team at Premiership rugby club Harlequins at the same time as scoring four A*/As in Economics, Physics, Maths and Further Maths. Rugby prowess runs in his family, as his older brother is Old Brightonian and current England/Harlequins fly-half Marcus Smith. Luc is heading for London to study Civic Engineering at Imperial College, while keeping his rugby skills up to speed with the Rosslyn Park league team.

Maximilian Murphy’s achievement in securing A*s in History, Maths and Music, plus an A in Computing, may inspire father Stuart to commission something, given his background as the new head of ENO following lead roles at Sky and BBC3 – where he was the executive who commissioned the legendary TV series Gavin and Stacey.