Croydon High Class of 2016 hail A Level success

Once again, Croydon High School has maintained its local reputation for excellent academic results with a 100% pass rate at A Level and over 94% of students achieving A*- C grades. 

Croydon High’s Head Debbie Leonard is always proud of the academic results achieved by the girls, but this year has been particularly struck by the wide variety of choices this cohort has made – both in their subject options and their post sixth-form destinations.

“This year, more than ever, we have been conscious of how truly impressive these girls are in so many ways. They have achieved excellent academic results and also extended their learning and life experience through our wide range of extra-curricular and co-curricular opportunities.”

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a great example of enhanced academic learning. This award, representing an additional half an A Level, is increasingly valued by prestigious universities who believe it effectively showcases students’ research and presentations skills as well as their self-motivation and breadth of education. This year, a stunning 17 out of 18 Croydon High girls in Year 13 were awarded an A* or A in their EPQ – and 100% gained A* – B grades. This is an outstanding achievement.”

Debbie Leonard went on to say that the academic results, important as they are, only give a one dimensional view of every girl’s achievement in her school career. “This year group have particularly excelled in their ability to take on leadership roles within the school, seeking out work experience and networking opportunities and managing to maintain their different extra-curricular interests and zest for life throughout their rigorous A Level years.”

Individual approach to learning leads to diversity of choice and opportunity

It is this diversity of interest and ambition that the school is particularly celebrating, as it demonstrates that each girl’s individual talents and aspirations are unique and enhanced by the school’s approach to teaching and learning.

Director of Sixth Form, Jimmy Haidar explains, “Personalisation, with regards to learning, is not just another educational ‘buzz word” at Croydon High. We pride ourselves on how well we know each girl and importantly, how well they know themselves. This approach means that girls make choices- especially at sixth form – that enable them to achieve their goals in a way that is right for them.”

The school’s two Head Girls, Ellen Lennox and Tanya Dosanjh are examples of how different learning styles can both achieve success. Both girls are bright, dedicated and hardworking but have different approaches to learning and, obviously, different ambitions. Tanya opted to take four A Levels, Chemistry, German, Maths and Further Maths achieving A grades in all of them, which secures her a place at Exeter to follow her dream of studying Maths. Ellen chose to take three A Level subjects, Government and Politics, History and Maths and complemented this with an EPQ. She achieved two A* and two A grades and will be heading to Durham where she will be reading History.

Be it studying Medicine or Marketing, Theatre and Performance, Ancient History or Languages, more dreams are well on the way to being realised with some outstanding individual academic results for Croydon High girls. Girls have opted for subjects they love and not just those that ‘go well together’ and this has obviously helped them excel and go on to study subjects they are passionate about.

For example, Sarah Garonne with an A in Maths and two A* grades in French and English will be reading Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Exeter.

Arunchana Maheswaran’s chosen subjects really reflect her strengths as well as her interests and her A* grades in Biology and Chemistry as well as A grades in Maths and German could take her anywhere. She is heading for UCL to read Medicine.

 Sophia Ahmed, with two A* grades in Geography and Government and Politics and an A in History will be reading Geography at UCL

Oxbridge success

Shakira Mahadeva and Kirsty Bailey are both Oxford bound and both celebrating three A* grades. Shakira will be reading Biochemistry following her successes in Chemistry, Maths and Physics, while Kirsty, who also achieved an A* in her EPQ, will be reading French and Italian after her A* clean sweep in English Literature, French and Geography. 

Honor Clapp is also an Oxbridge success, heading to Cambridge to read Philosophy with A* grades in English Literature, History and her EPQ and A grades in RS and Biology.

Nursery Girls celebrating A Level success

Honor is one of a number of girls who have had the full Croydon High experience (all pictured above), joining as she did aged 3 in 2001 – the year the school’s Nursery opened. Shakira, mentioned above, is also a ‘Nursery girl’ as is Ysabel Cruickshank who heads to LSE to read Politics with A* grades in Government and Politics and English Literature and an A in German. Preeyah Purang is celebrating three A grades in Chemistry, French and Maths and an A* in Biology

Sarah Brock was working in the Nursery when it opened in 2001 and is still there now. She has always felt a special bond with these girls and so made a special trip in to school to be with them as they received their results. “It has been wonderful to be able to stay in contact and watch the girls grow and blossom over the years. I am absolutely thrilled that they are going on to do such exciting things.”

Head’s farewell

Debbie Leonard, who takes up a new post as Head of The Grange School in Cheshire in September took the opportunity to offer her very best wishes to new Head, Emma Pattison and the whole Croydon High community. “Wherever I go in the future, “she said, “there will always be a little piece of Croydon High in my heart – it is a unique school and a very special place.”