Schools and colleges across Croydon have been celebrating their students’ A-level exam results, with early indications showing good improvements at A-level grades A*-A grades. The results achieved on Thursday (15 August) are in line with Croydon’s pass rates from last year, which had returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Tyrone Myton, headteacher at Shirley High School, said: “We’re proud of all our students for doing so well in our A-level exam results.”

“Many of our students are leaving us to go to university – 25% of our students will go to Russell Group universities and one of our students from Shirley will be studying medicine. It’s fantastic and I want to thank the staff and families and also the support we got from the local authority.”

Shirley High School student Daisy Kite (on left), from Shirley, got three C grades in English Literature, media studies and psychology. She plans to take a gap year before going to the University of Brighton. Commenting on her time at Shirley High School, she said: “I really enjoyed lessons here as the teachers put in so much effort to make them fun and enjoyable.”

Shirley student Aoife McIlroy (centre), from Selsdon, got two Bs in photography and English Literature and a C in business. She said she was pleased she had been accepted by the University of Liverpool to study English Literature, media and communications. She said: “I’m really proud of myself and that I’ve got into my university of choice. I’m excited to see what comes next.”

Harris Academy students were also celebrating good news on Thursday. Dylan Davies, 18, achieved an A in geography, and a B in both English and history. Headed for Lancaster University to study English and creative writing, he said he was “excited and little nervous too.”

Amir Sufraz, 18, got an A in mathematics, a B in biology, and C in chemistry, and is going to the University of Southampton to study mathematics and actuarial science. He said: “I’m feeling excited about the future and the independence of going to university. I’m looking forward to enjoying the next phase.”

Have you just received your exam results and considering what to do next?

The first thing you should do is find out if your offer is now confirmed. If you needed specific grades for your chosen course and you didn’t get these, first and foremost – don’t panic. Speak to your intended place of learning, training or employment as soon as possible to find out whether they will still accept you.  Remember, if you’re not able to get on to the original course that you applied to, then ask about alternatives.

If your results are better than expected or you’ve since been rethinking your career goals and ambitions, speak to your intended place of learning or training as soon as possible.

You can discuss your situation and options with the Post 16 Participation Team at Croydon Council,  by calling: 020 8726 7485, emailing: Post16@croydon.gov.uk or visit our website for more information.

Young people can also get help from other local support services at any time if they need to speak to someone about issues affecting them at Off the Record and Croydon Drop In https://croydondropin.org.uk/.

“Congratulations to all our students who are today preparing for the next step in their career or employment. We’re very proud of their hard work and it’s great to see it pay off today with these results. I would also like to congratulate the teachers, staff, parents and carers who helped them get here.

“We will continue to support our young people as they choose their futures and look into all the opportunities they have open to them.”

“We also want our students to know they can contact their school or college to support them with information about their future options and next steps.”

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon