Students celebrate 'fantastic' results at Chichester College

The college achieved an A level pass rate of 99 per cent as well as a rise in the number of students achieving the highest grades at the college, with more than 48 per cent celebrating A*-B grades – an increase of six percentage points since last year.

Taylor Setterfield, 18, studied business studies, English and media securing ABB.

"I'm happy with it, but I wanted an A in media but we can't all get what we want sometimes.

"I was working last night so I wasn't thinking about it but it really hit me later."

Taylor received an unconditional offer from Bournemouth University where she will be studying next year.

A total of 25 out of 29 A-level subjects 100 per cent pass rates, such as history and economics, which a college spokesman said are 'traditionally difficult subjects'.

As well as achieving 100% pass rates, psychology and further maths also logged high percentages of students celebrating grades A*-B – 73% and 75% respectively.

Agnese Sproge, 17, studied business studies, biology and English, receiving BDB.

She said: "I'm working full time until January and then I'm going travelling.

"I will apply to university but see how my plans are going."

She said that she felt 'fine' leading up to results day because she had already planned not to go to university next year.

"I cope with stress better than most people do."

Taylor and Agnes planned to celebrate their results by going out in Bournemouth.

One student decided to go against the grain and not open his results.

18-year-old Theo Elliott-Pears said: "Congratulating my friends is more important."

Theo studied maths, further maths and physics and said that he was hoping to eventually study renewable energy.

He added: "I wasn't as stressed as I thought I would be and I knew well before that I wasn't going to go to university next year.

"I will be on a gap year next year so opening them now wont really make a difference"

Chief executive of the Chichester College Group, Shelagh Legrave OBE, said she is 'extremely proud' of the students and staff after some 'challenging' changes at the school, including reforms to the way A levels work.

Vice principal Helen Loftus said that she was 'absolutely delighted' with the colleges results.

She said: "To get 99 per cent pass rate is a fantastic achievement.

"It means so much to them. I think the build up was quite different this year because we are going through A level reforms so we've switched from this modular assessment method to linear so you are tested on your performance over a two year period which is a very different form of assessment and a changing picture.

"It was a challenge and we were going into the unknown really but to get the results we've got in a changing picture we are absolutely delighted with.

"It's fantastic today just to see so many smiling faces not just for students but their parents and guardians so everyone is buzzing."

To find out more about A levels, Higher Education or other courses at Chichester College visit www.chichester.ac.uk or contact the admissions team on 01243 786321.

You can keep up to date with all the A-level results across the county in our live blog here.