The announcement of the 2023 results revealed that 40% of pupils had attained a pass rate at A* or A, compared to a Welsh national average of 34%.
91% of Rydal Penrhos pupils achieved A* to C grades; a figure that remains unchanged from 2022, despite widespread grade deflation across the country following recent Covid-adjusted results.
For the fourth consecutive year, Rydal Penrhos recorded a 100% pass rate (A* to E).
Among a host of exceptional individual achievements, Year 13 pupil Moli Birkinshaw achieved 2A*s and 1A and a place at the University of Oxford, where she will read Economics and Management.
Henry Battersby secured 2A*s and 1A and a place at the University of Bath. “I have had two children enjoy an education at Rydal Penrhos,” said Mrs Battersby, Henry’s mother, “and both have been extremely successful. Thank you, Rydal Penrhos.” Henry said, “while I am very sad to be leaving Rydal Penrhos, they have prepared me well for the next stage of life.”
Ethan Bytheway scored 3A*s and an A* in the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). The talented musician will now study Aeronautical Engineering at Durham University.
Gregory Perry will begin his MEng in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh following 2A* and 2A grades, while Deputy Head Girl Elodie Commissaris will read History at the University of Exeter thanks to 2A*s and 1A, and an A* in the EPQ.
Josh Stewart, who secured 1A* and 2As, will study Biochemistry at the University of Warwick, while Wales U18 golf star Charley Simpson will travel to the USA after securing a scholarship at the University of Idaho.
64.2 per cent attained a pass rate at A*-A, with 37.78% securing A* grades thanks to their commitment and the impeccable preparation they received over their final two years at Rydal Penrhos.
Those achieving A*-B grades stood at 80.5% and 92.7% of pupils achieved A*-C grades as a result of their efforts.
Rydal Penrhos’ pass rate (A*-E) remains at 100%, which is the eighth time since 2000 that the school has managed this feat.
There were a host of notable individual achievements, with Rebecca Mann attaining no fewer than four A* grades plus an additional A* in her Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). A magnificent achievement from the departing pupil, who will now go on to the University of Warwick to study Mathematics.
Another with a lot to celebrate was Arthur Hind, who held the position of Head Boy during his final school year and attained four A* grades and will now begin studying a Masters in Engineering (Triple Engineering) at Sheffield University.
Isabel Bateson (3 A*s, A), Daniel McLaughlin (3 A*s), Simeon Murphy-Thomas (3 A*s, A* EPQ), Paul Kenyon (3 A*s, A* EPQ) and Suhas Shekar (3 A*s) were others who achieved a significant amount thanks to their sterling commitment, with Juan Rajagopal gaining 3 A*s and an A to go alongside the 1st class honours degree in Mathematics with the Open University he accomplished during his A Level years.
Head Girl Shruthi Ganapathi (2 A*s, A), Emily Penwright (2 A*s, A, A* EPQ), Isabel Toms-Arbel (2 A*s, A), Tasnim Mortuza (A*, 2 As, A* EPQ), and Damisola Animashaun (2 A*s, A, B) secured hugely impressive grades, which is a just reward for their adaptability and focus to reach or exceed their goals.
37 per cent of GCSE candidates secured A* (9-8) grades, with 57% falling in the A*-A (9-7) category as a result of their exceptional efforts.
This far exceeds the national average in Wales for those with A*-A grades, which stands at 25.1%.
The number of pupils securing pass rates from A*-B or 9-6 was 81%. A total of 97% of all grades were A*-C or 9-4, which far eclipses the national average in Wales of 68.6%.
There were a host of individual triumphs, with Lily Davies among the top performer after gaining seven A* grades, four 9s and a Distinction in Additional Mathematics.
Another pupil with plenty to celebrate was Ruby Merrick, who secured four A*’s, five 9s and an A grade, with Kosi Iwobi also shining after attaining seven A*s, one 9, one A, a Distinction in Additional Mathematics, and Distinction 2 in Engineering.
Jonathan Osbourne, who combines his studies with North Wales Athletics training, was rewarded in fine style with four A*s, two 9s, two 8s, a Distinction in Additional Mathematics and Distinction 2 in Engineering. It was a similar story for Leo Weis thanks to outstanding academic development, which led to three A*s, two 9s, two As and a Distinction in Additional Mathematics.
Others to achieve success were Martha Hind (4 A*s, three 9s, A, 8, Distinction), Prune Chasteau (5 A*s, two 9s, 2As, 8, Distinction), Edward Altoft (3 A*s, 2As, three 8s, Distinction), Gwyn Davies (A*, 3As, 9, two 8s, 7), Emily Jones (3 A*s, 4 As, 8, Distinction), Fayeth Jones (5 As), Zac Roberts (2 A*s, 9, A, 7, Distinction), Ada Vonbank (A*, two 9s, A, 8, three Bs) and Ivo Vonbank (3 A*s, 3 As, 9, two 8s, Distinction).
70.5% attained a pass rate at A*-A, which is the highest in the school’s history since the introduction of the A* grade and represents an increase of 20.3% year on year.
Those achieving A*-B grades stood at 84.1% – a rise of 9.9% – with 92% of pupils achieving A*-C grades as a result of their efforts.
This is an increase of 2.1% from the record-breaking A*-C mark set in 2020.
Rydal Penrhos’ pass rate (A*-E) remains at 100%, which is the seventh time since 2000 that the school has achieved this feat.
The mean number of subjects passed per candidate was 3.14.
68.7 per cent of GCSE candidates secured A*-A or 9-7 grades, which is the highest in the school’s history and represents an increase of 6.6% from the previous year.
It is also 38.7% higher than the national average for A*-A (9-7), which stands at 30%.
The number of pupils securing pass rates from A*-C or 9-4 was 92.7% – 13.1% higher than the national average of 79.1%.
51.7% of pupils attained A* grades from their WJEC Welsh Board assessments as a result of their incredible efforts.
Among the best performing subjects were Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Business, Geography, Engineering, Additional Mathematics and History.
This year the school’s ‘A’ level results were in value-added terms the best ever achieved by Rydal Penrhos pupils.
What does this mean? What is “value-added”? And perhaps most importantly how is it one of the best indicators of performance from schools like Rydal Penrhos?
When children arrive in school they are evaluated through tests (most of the time they do not even realise this is what is happening, so it is nothing to worry about). These tests plot the child’s innate ability and performance and can therefore forecast the child’s likely outcome at GCSE and then later at A Level according to the national average.
To “Add Value” means a school can significantly influence a child’s performance through such a high standard of teaching that the projected outcome is improved and therefore they achieve much better grades than they would have done at an average school (i.e. the national average).
At Rydal Penrhos this is the overwhelming outcome, using analysis by the Centre of Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) based in Gateshead and working in symmetry with the University of Cambridge.
Rydal Penrhos’ pupil-centred approach, constant monitoring and reporting, together with an outstanding academic provision both on-site and remotely during the educational lockdown have brought overwhelming value-added scores at both A Level and GCSE once again.
The school recorded a value-added score is 1.04. this means for every ten subjects taken, all of them came out with one grade higher than originally predicted.
Similarly, at GCSE, the value-added score from this year’s results was 0.81, which was almost identical to the 2020 figure of 0.8. This equates to just over eight out of every ten subjects taken resulting in higher grades than projected.
We are delighted with these results and feel it is a good indicator for parents that they are giving their child the very best opportunity to perform to their highest capability and even beyond it.
Although pupils were unable to sit normal examinations due to Welsh Government restrictions surrounding COVID-19, each pupil and staff member deserves a tremendous amount of credit for working hard and adjusting well to ever-changing circumstances to ensure their goals were attained and in most cases, exceeded.
Pupils managed to attain at 51.9 per cent pass rate at A*-A, which was the highest in the school’s history since the introduction of the A* grade at the time and represented an increase of 30.5 per cent year on year, with 75.9% achieving A*-B grades.
Those awarded A*-C grades now stand at 90.5 per cent, which is another record and a significant rise of 30.1% from the previous year’s results.
Rydal Penrhos’ pass rate (A*-E) rose to 100 per cent for the sixth time since 2000. And the mean number of subjects passed per candidate was 3.1.
The number of A* grades awarded was 49.2 per cent, which is a significant rise of 33.2% from the previous year.
A total of 66.7 per cent of pupils managed to achieve A*-A grades – a rise of 30.6% – and this is testament to how each member of Year 11 applied themselves to their studies.
The number of pupils securing A*-B grades was 87.1 per cent, which is an increase of 17.4% from the 2018/19 academic year.
98.5 per cent of Rydal Penrhos’ GCSE candidates attained A*-C marks, with 97.8 per cent securing this feat in five or more subjects. The mean number of passes per candidate was recorded at 9.1.
This year the school’s ‘A’ level results were in value-added terms the best ever achieved by Rydal Penrhos pupils.
What does this mean? What is “value-added”? And perhaps most importantly how is it one of the best indicators of performance from schools like Rydal Penrhos?
When children arrive in school they are evaluated through tests (most of the time they do not even realise this is what is happening, so it is nothing to worry about). These tests plot the child’s innate ability and performance and can therefore forecast the child’s likely outcome at GCSE and then later at A Level according to the national average.
To “Add Value” means a school can significantly influence a child’s performance through such a high standard of teaching that the projected outcome is improved and therefore they achieve much better grades than they would have done at an average school (i.e. the national average).
At Rydal Penrhos this is the overwhelming outcome, using analysis by the Centre of Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) based in Gateshead and working in symmetry with the University of Cambridge.
At ‘A’ level our score is 0.5 this means for every ten subjects taken, five of them (i.e. half) have come out with higher grades than forecast.
This has meant for example that over the 51 Year 13 pupils who recently left, 100 additional ‘A’ grades were achieved.
Similarly, at GCSE we show strong consistent “Value-added” with a score of 0.8 so again eight out of every ten subjects taken would result in higher scores than predicted. This means that the 36 pupils in Year 11 secured more than 250 higher grades than projected given their prior performance.
We are very pleased with these results and feel it is a good indicator for parents that they are giving their child the very best opportunity to perform to their highest capability and even beyond it.
We continue to strive to create an education that enables children through excellent teaching and support to achieve their best and we are constantly looking to make adaptations to what we do to ensure this.
Rydal Penrhos has announced changes to the structure of teaching and the curriculum in Years 12 and 13 and throughout the school all the way to Reception we are considering teaching methods, monitoring methods and every little thing that can impact a child’s progress.
We wish to improve a child’s performance holistically, so alongside the excellent teaching and thorough monitoring, there is everything that we do outside the classroom and extra-curricular pursuits that rounds a child and builds their resilience and confidence and essentially makes them safe, happy and thriving.
These skills along with academic achievement are what enables our young people to move on to the next stage of their lives and flourish.
Full academic results are available on request.
Tel: +44 (0)1492 530 155 (Senior)
Tel: +44 (0)1492 530 381 (Prep)
Fax: +44 (0)1492 531 872
Email: prep@rydalpenrhos.com / senior@rydalpenrhos.com
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