As results were formally announced on Tuesday 10 August, a total of 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.

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 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.

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.