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From left, Tre Curran, Angeline Libock, Bareka Rahman, Shahana Begum and Sina Farid celebrate at Haverstock School |
Knockout A-level grades delight
for students!
Celebrations as youngsters look forward to their next move after receiving exam results
JAY Gerardo was once more interested in messing about than studying.
It was not long before he was expelled from South Camden Community School in Somers Town, aged 14, and bundled into a special education centre for trouble-makers.
He said: “They didn’t want me in school because I was a little complicated.
“I was just being a hoodie and disruptive in class, but I grew out of doing stupid things like nicking bikes and stuff.”
Jay didn’t get any GCSEs but he persuaded his school to take him back and let him study at sixth form.
Four years of knuckling down paid off on Thursday, when he tore open his A-level results envelope and found three Cs – all that he needs to follow his dream of studying Humanities at Essex University.
South Camden Community School headteacher Rosemary Leeke said: “He’s a real achiever because he didn’t go down the conventional route.
“Now he’s off to university and we’re very proud of him.”
The school’s exam manager Lisa Westray added: “He’s worked really hard and it was a rough four years for him. He deserves to go to university.”
Jay’s story of success was mirrored across the borough on a day of results-opening jubilation.
La Sainte Union student Irene Edem-Dartey, 18, is off to Liverpool University to study medicine after scooping two As and a B. She said she was inspired into buckling down after seeing the Pope at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, last summer.
Irene, who hopes to follow a career as a paediatrician, said: “There were half a million people there.
“It is an annual event and aims to help you get into the spirit of things. I wanted to go to Liverpool because I think it’s a great city – I’m going to get a Scouse accent too!”
Headteacher Maureen Williams praised a special group of star La Sainte Union pupils who had been awarded £500 Service Award bursaries to help start at university.
“I am really pleased that they have done so well,” she added.
Over at Haverstock School in Chalk Farm, Shafi Musaddique was celebrating his two As and a B and keeping his options open.
The 18-year-old from Queen’s Crescent is set for an English literature and linguistics degree at Queen Mary University which he hopes could lead to teaching English across the globe.
He speaks fluent Bengali and a bit of Spanish, but says he wants to get another three languages under his belt – including Mandarin.
Haverstock deputy headteacher Caroline Davis said the school was pleased with this year’s 95 per cent pass rate and celebrated a fall in ‘U’ grades at the school.
She also welcomed a rise in students staying on at the school for sixth form and those taking traditional subjects such as maths and science.
“It’s certainly not the case at Haverstock that all students are turning away from traditional subjects and going for non-traditional subjects such as media,” she said.
“The next drive is to focus on students getting into the top 20 traditional universities.”
Martial artist Sean Batista Morris from La Swap sixth form celebrates his A grades |
Sean: ‘I’ll fight for uni place’
AT La Swap sixth form in Highgate, Cuban martial arts champion Sean Batista Morris got straight As in politics, sociology, law and philosophy. The 18-year-old, who lives in Camden Town, said: “I was going to go to Warwick University. But these grades are so much better than I was expecting.
I might wait another year and see if somewhere better comes up.” He added: “I’m into mixed martial arts. I’d like to train as a professional fighter.“
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