Uxbridge College GCSE students look to the future after lockdown results

@UxbridgeCollege students are celebrating their hard work and commitment and looking to the future after receiving their GCSE results. 

Controversies around this year’s academic and vocational results, which have been subject to major revisions under Government policy changes due to the Covid crisis, are not stopping the college’s students going from strength to strength and progressing on to the right programme of study for them.

Our 2019/20 students have continued a strong tradition of progressing in high numbers with the majority of students achieving the GCSE grades that enable them to continue to a Level 3 qualification. Many will be coming back to college to do A Levels or a Level 3 BTEC, often planning to continue to university. 

Uxbridge College Sixth Form Centre, which offers a full-time one year GCSE programme for students who are either doing the exams for the first time or who didn’t fulfil their potential at school, achieved an 81% pass rate at GCSE grades 9-4 (equivalent to the old A*-C) and 99% overall pass rate, grades 9-1.

The college’s top performer at GCSE this year was Toluwalase Lawale (pictured left, doing the ‘Covid handshake’ with Principal Dr Darrell DeSouza after collecting his results), who achieved three grade 9s – the equivalent to what used to be A* – in Maths, Biology, and Chemistry, a grade 8 (formerly A*/A) in Physics, and a grade 6 in English (formerly B).

The 17-year-old, who studied in Nigeria before coming to the UK and plans to study A Levels, said: “I have had a fantastic experience at Uxbridge College and made really good friends. It was fine studying during lockdown but now it’s time to take a fresh breath and be chill – everyone gets to relax now.”

Marion Pinto, 17, who achieved a grade 9 in Biology, and 8 in English, and 7s (formerly grades A* & A) will be going on to take science A Levels so she can become a doctor. She said:

“I preferred coming to college than being at home during lockdown, but the study material the teachers gave me helped me a lot. I was a bit worried about the results because we did not know if our predicted grades were being taken into account, but I am happy with what I have got.”

Sumayya Noor, who came to Uxbridge College after studying GCSEs at school, got a grade 9 in Chemistry, 8s in Biology and Physics, and 6s in Maths and English. She said: “College is more relaxed than school and I am looking forward to coming back to study A Level sciences. I’m really happy with my results and my family will be happy too.”

Dr Darrell DeSouza, Group Principal of Uxbridge College and HCUC said:

“All our students have worked extremely hard particularly with the additional challenges of continuing their studies during lockdown, and I am extremely proud of the commitment both they and our staff have shown during this time. Congratulations to everyone.

“Uxbridge College is pleased to continue to run a successful full-time GCSE programme where students can either sit the exams for the first time, or study them again if they have not been able to fulfil their potential at school. This gives young people a chance to progress to higher study at A Level or join vocational programmes including Apprenticeships, which means they can then progress to University or into a career of their choice.

“As the college GCSE programme is completed across just one year, students normally take up to five subjects as opposed to the higher numbers taken at school, where this is part of the final two years of high school study.”

BTEC Levels 1 and 2 and some other vocational qualifications which would normally have been released on the same day as GCSEs, have been delayed due to changes in how they are calculated. A Levels and Level 3 vocational qualifications such as BTECs are also due to be re-graded.