A teenager whose dad died as he began his A-levels has gone on to achieve top grades.
Sean Cadwallader received 3 A*s and an A today after losing his dad to cancer at the start of his A-levels. He is one of many students from the Blue Coat School who are celebrating their results this Thursday, with 70% of all exams sat at the school resulting in a grade A or above.
Sean is heading to Manchester to study Politics and International Relations and hopes to stand as a councillor in the next local elections.
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Sean said: “At the start of my A-Level course I lost my dad to cancer. My mum has been incredible, the school have been hugely supportive, and I simply couldn’t have achieved this without them. I also need to thank my friends at the Liberal Democrats.
“It has been tough, but now I want to do more to help our community. These results open the door for me to study a subject I am passionate about next year.”
Double the number of students from the Blue Coat achieved A*s this year compared to 2019, with over 40% of all results being given the highest mark.
Anna Aguiar, who is about to head to the University of Sheffield to read Law and Spanish after securing 3 A*s, said: “These last 12 months have been the hardest. I made the decision in February to 'go big or go home' and since then have given these exams so much focus and attention.
“I am so proud, and I just want to thank my teachers for their kindness and support. This was an outcome I was hoping for, but not expecting.”
Head teacher Scilla Yates, said: “Everything we do as a school is about inspiring excellence, and the outcomes today show that young people really do excel academically at our school. The fact that we have a significant number of students going to Oxbridge and other leading universities is testament to that.
“What I am, however, most proud of is the young people that our students become. They are a genuine pleasure to have in our school, and I believe they are a credit to our wider community.”
Adam Blanchflower, a distant relative of the footballing great, also secured 3 A*s in Biology, Chemistry and Maths. He is heading to Oxford to read Biology before starting a career in ecological research.
Adam said: “I have had a difficult few years, but today is a day to really celebrate. I just want to say thank you to my family who have helped me through everything. The preparation for these exams have been stressful, but as I got into the swing of exams it all started to come together.
Miriam Zalloccl achieved 2 A*s and 3 As and is now heading to UCL to read Global Humanitarian Studies. Kuham Thayalam secured 4 A*s and is heading to Selwyn College in Cambridge to read Natural Sciences.
Jacob Kang is celebrating 3 A*s before starting a career in dentistry and Tim Auth, who is the current Head of the Student Body, achieved 4 A*s and is heading to Oxford to study International Relations. In total, 96 students achieved three or more A* or A grades.
Headteacher Ms Yates added: “We are all so proud of this group of students. What shouldn’t be forgotten is that they didn’t get the opportunity to sit their GCSEs in 2020 – so this was their first full and formal set of exams.
“Their tenacity, talents and determination should be applauded. We wish them the all the very best for their futures.”
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