Few things induce anxiety more than the sight of brown envelopes lined up in a row on A-Level results day.
As students from Wirral Grammar School for Girls filed into the sports hall this morning, the sense of anticipation was palpable, with just a few letters on a piece of paper seemingly having the potential to shape the course of their immediate futures. But many of the girls at the Bebington School needn’t have worried, as the 2022 cohort managed to secure a deluge of dazzling results.
Among this year’s success stories is Rachael Price, who told the ECHO the nervy wait for her exam results left her feeling “a bit delirious” as she made the journey to school with her music “blasting” in the car. Her anxieties were unfounded though, as the four A*s she achieved were more than enough to secure her place to study natural sciences at Cambridge.
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And Rachael is not alone in racking up a clean sweep of top grades. Both Sophie Beale and Ruby Bestwick also pulled off the monumental feat of four A*’s, winning spots at two prestigious Russell Group universities. Ruby said: “I’m doing Maths and Physics at Bristol. I’m actually really excited just to be somewhere else a bit different.
“It’s been a bit difficult the last couple of years doing things online, and it was much more fun being able to be back in school. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and learning things that are a bit more challenging.”
Sophie, who’s off to study Maths and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, is also ready for a new challenge, telling the ECHO: “I am a bit nervous and I’m going to miss it here but I am really excited because Edinburgh is such a wonderful place.”
Of course days like this are bittersweet. While the high achievers - quite literally- jump for joy and embrace their beaming parents, there are a few who traipse somewhat dejectedly back to their cars, eyes red as their results don’t quite go to plan.
But on the whole, the mood at the highly-rated Wirral Grammar is buoyant, with parents and teachers alike delighted to be able to celebrate and say goodbye in person after a turbulent two years courtesy of the pandemic. Triumphing despite the extensive disruption students have faced is a particular source of pride for headteacher Elaine Cogan, who retires this year after more than two decades of service at the school.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted because they’ve had two years of very difficult times. They’ve worked so hard through lockdown. They were well prepared for exams, they knew their subjects and went in very confidently and that’s why they’ve got such good results.
“I’m so proud of them. They’re a brilliant bunch and they’re all going on to do amazing things and the staff have been amazingly supportive.”
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