Record number of pupils join Bedales Sixth Form

Record number of pupils to join Bedales Sixth Form

20/08/2009

This week’s results at Bedales show a third of all A Level grades at grade A and 16 students with at least three grade A’s.

Headmaster Keith Budge says:

“Many congratulations to our upper sixth students on these results which reflect their hard work and enthusiasm for their academic studies.  Our students’ capacity for independent thinking and their ability to deliver strong grades continue to make them attractive to a broad range of top universities.  This, combined with the wonderful breadth of extra-curricular involvement, makes our Sixth Form an increasingly popular choice – to such a degree that we have had to create additional boarding accommodation to house an increased Sixth Form entry in September.”

The following students have achieved at least three A Level grade A’s:

• James Bevan – Chemistry (A), Economics (A), Physics (A); to read Chemistry, Bath
• Flora Gill – Drama & Theatre Studies ( A) History (A), Religious Studies (A), English Literature (A); to read Flexible Combined Honours, Exeter
• Emma Gillespie – Art (A), Design (A), Spanish (A); to do an Art Foundation, Wimbledon 
• Leo Green – Maths (A), Further Maths (A), Chemistry (A), Physics (A); to read Mechanical Engineering, Bristol 
• Gussie Grey – Classical Civilisation, (A) History (A), Maths (A); to read History, Warwick
• Phoebe Hay – French (A), Latin (A), Spanish (A), English Literature (B); to read Modern Languages, Durham
• Sophie Hill – Maths (A), Further Maths (A), History (A), Latin (A); to read Maths and Philosophy, Oxford
• Hamish Macpherson – Biology (A), Design (A), Psychology (A); to read Architecture at Oxford Brookes
• Martha McGuirk – Art (A), History (A), Religious Studies (A); to read History, Exeter
• Flora Paterson – Art (A), Biology (A), Spanish (A); to read Psychology, Exeter
• Holly Roberts – Classical Civilisation (A), Psychology (A), History (A), English Literature (B);  to read Ancient & Modern History, Oxford
• Sophie Russell – Chemistry (A), Geography (A), Physics (A); to read Medicine, Southampton
• Ferdinand Saumarez-Smith – Art (A), English Literature (A), History (A); to do an Art Foundation, Central Saint Martin’s College, London
• Veronica Stratford-Tuke - English (A), French (A), Spanish (A);  gap year
• Luke Turner – Chemistry (A), Maths (A), Spanish (A); to read Chemistry, Imperial, London
• David Wise – Maths (A), Further Maths (A), Physics (A), English Literature (A); to read Physics and Philosophy, Bristol

Bedales Sixth Form offers much more challenge and breadth than just A Level study. This year the school is introducing the Cambridge Pre-U Music qualification and the opportunity to study an accredited Extended Project. These will augment the broad range of activities such as supporting a school in Swaziland, working on the Bedales farm and taking a school production to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Case study: Leah Mason

Leah is an excellent example of making the most of the broad opportunities at Bedales. She joined the school as a boarder from its feeder school Dunhurst. During the Sixth Form, she has developed her musical interest – with a focus on electric guitar - in tandem with her A Level studies in Music, History, and French, for which she achieved grades ABB respectively in addition to a Spanish grade A at AS Level. Following in the footsteps of Old Bedalian Luke Pritchard of The Kooks, Leah has been signed by The Kooks’ management company and has been taken on by the largest concert agent in the country. As a singer songwriter, Leah has supported The Kooks at the Round House (Camden) and Johnny Flynn (Old Bedalian) in Nottingham. She plans to take a gap year to pursue her music career, and is already getting interest from record labels.   

Leah Mason says:

“I am ecstatic with these results. My music really took off last summer and it has been pretty intense doing gigs, recording and catching up on school work. My teachers and friends have been incredibly supportive. The electric guitar teacher at Bedales – Neil Hornsby – is a star. He’s taught me from the age of 12, and has encouraged my song-writing. I am now going to take a gap year to see how my music develops.” 

Bedales Headmaster, Keith Budge says:

“Leah Mason typifies the best of Bedales Schools. She has managed to combine the development of her outstanding musical talent with academic success. The prospect of a career as a performer has neither gone to her head nor diverted her from those key elements of her school career – work, friendship and broadening her mind.”

This year’s A Level statistics for Bedales are as follows (these include AS Level subjects where a student has sat AS Level but not pursued the subject to A2):

• % A grade: 33.2% (2008: 27%)
• % A and B grades: 63% (2008: 62.5%)
• % A-E grades: 99.5% (2008: 98.1%)

Photographs of students receiving their results on A Level results day 2009.

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