With the turmoil of the last couple of years, there has been much speculation and commentary about this year’s A-Level exam results: the students have had choppy academic waters to negotiate; Examination Boards and OFQUAL had complicated adjustments to make to try and recognise this and, on top of all that, the University entry has become more complicated with demand out-stripping supply.

Against such a backdrop there has inevitably been uncertainty and trepidation but the Churcher’s students have proved once again quite how exceptional they are.

OFQUAL required grade boundaries to be set somewhere between those for 2019, the last normal exam period, and the 2021 teacher assessed grades. As such one might expect the overall results for a school to lie somewhere between the two; but that is not the case at Churcher’s.

This year has been a quite astonishing record-breaking year: another year of everyone passing all their exams and an exceptional 40.6% at the top A* grade, higher than either the centre or teacher assessed Covid years.

A-Level grades are a passport to the next stage, whatever that may be, and for any school the most important statistic is that students have the necessary grades to follow their aspirations. With universities oversubscribed, and therefore offers harder to come by and offers often at a higher than ever level, the assumption was that there would be a great deal more disappointment this summer, but not for the Churcher’s students despite their ambitions being particularly challenging. Of those who have applied and holding offers: 77% made their first choice, with a further 17% their second.

One has to admire the resilience and determination of all A-Level students but there is clearly something quite extra special about those from Churcher’s College.