Staff and students at Holy Cross College in Bury have been celebrating after another year with a high A levels pass rate.
Students at the Manchester Road college achieved a 96 per cent pass rate, just one per cent less than last year.
Results were made available to students online this morning and pupils were given the option to come into the college from 11am to celebrate or discuss future options.
Mairéad Graham who is going to Durham University to study philosophy, politics and economics, achieved an A* in Spanish, and As in maths, chemistry and English language and literature.
She said: “It would have been nice to open the results surrounded by people you did your A levels with but at the same time, opening them at home with your family takes the pressure off a bit.
“We also got our GCSE results online so we have never had a stereotypical results day to compare it to, but it is nice coming in to see everyone now."
Finlay Howe is going to the University of York to study law after receiving As in English and history and a B in politics.
He said: “I agree with Mairéad, it was a bit underwhelming opening them at home but it is what it is.
“I’m feeling relieved but nervous now because I know that university is right on the horizon.”
Katy Lomax has also been accepted to her first choice of university after studying biology, chemistry and maths.
She said: “I received A*, A, A and I am now going to the University of York.
“I am really happy with my results, but I did work hard to get here so I had hoped that I would get grades similar to these.”
Georgia Stephens had just arrived back from Greece the morning of results day and said she had been worried after hearing that the A*-E pass rate is at its lowest level since 2008.
Despite her worries, she received a B, C, and C and will be going to University of Liverpool.
Overall, there were 573 individual A* and A grades and 1243 individual A* to B grades.
Five students achieved at least four A*/A grades and 17 A level subjects achieved a 100 per cent pass rate.
Matthew Edmondson received A*A*A* in maths, further maths and physics and Antoni Zyla received A*, A*, A, A in maths, further maths, physics and computer science.
The friends said they are now planning on going to Warwick University together to study Maths and are a mixture of “excited and scared”.
As students rushed to check their results online this morning, some, like Jamie Grierson said they had to refresh the page over 10 times before they could see their final grades.
He said: “I thought I was going to fail but I achieved three Bs and I will be doing a degree apprenticeship in computer science at BT.
“I logged into UCAS this morning and had to refresh the page over and over because it wouldn’t load up, my heart was pounding but then I managed to get on it five minutes after they had been released.”
The pass rate for Level 3 BTEC was 100 per cent with 17 students each achieving three distinction star (DS*) grades and 113 individual DS* grades achieved in total.
The pass rate for the level 3 applied diploma was 100 per cent with 36 students achieving A* and A grades and 114 A* to B grades were earned in total.
Carina Vitti, Principal of Holy Cross College, said: “Congratulations to all of our students receiving their A-Level and Vocational results today (Thursday).
“We are immensely proud of their achievements, as they should be too.
“We would like to wish them all the very best for the future and to thank them for their wonderful contribution to Holy Cross College during their time here with us.”
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