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Sixth form college leads way with 99.4% passes
Miranda Bryant20.08.09
Students at a sixth form college in south London led the way today with a record number of A grades.
St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College achieved a 99.4 percent A-level pass rate with 78.59 per cent getting A-C grades, up on last year.
St Francis Xavier, in Clapham, is the top performing sixth form college in London with 22.6 per cent achieving A grades. All 450 A-level students got places at university.
Maria Oreyelu from New Cross got four As for her A-levels in English, politics, sociology and history and a distinction for an advanced qualification in history. She is going to study politics and sociology at Warwick.
"Neither of my parents went to university so it feels great. I'm going to one of the top universities in the country. I've been worrying so much, but I'm so glad I got what I deserved after working so hard," said the 18-year-old.
Ezme Bushell is also the first in her family to go to university. Miss Bushell, 18, from East Dulwich, needed two As and a B to get into SOAS to study social anthropology - and got straight As. She said: "I feel so happy and proud, I'm excited about the future now." Other students in the South-East were also celebrating today - some in difficult circumstances. Natasha D'Souza earned five top A-level grades just a year after losing both her parents.
The head girl at Kendrick School, in Reading, lost her mother and father to illnesses in just a few months. Today she won a place at Cambridge University with top grades in French, Latin, maths, further maths and critical thinking.
The 18-year-old, who has lived alone with her twin brother Aaron since their parents died, said: "I am so happy."
