The Mount School York celebrates A*-mazing A Level Results

Today girls from The Mount School York celebrated amazing A Level results, with many girls celebrating achieving a clean sweep of A* – A grades.  

42% of students achieved a clean sweep of A*-A grades whilst 63% of students achieved at least 3 A*-A grades. The success of the girls is particularly deserved this year following two years of disruption caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  

“Once again I am tremendously proud of our Year 13 girls and wish to congratulate them all. Despite the different way grades were awarded this year, these results are thoroughly deserved and are a testament to the dedication of both the students and the teaching staff,” said Adrienne Richmond, Principal of the all-girl Quaker School. “Despite the unusual circumstances and array of challenges over their two year A Level courses, the girls always remained upbeat and motivated, displaying remarkable resilience and maturity. The self-belief we nurture in our girls and the drive for success was evident throughout their two years of A Level study and reflected in their results today. I wish them well as they take their next steps in their careers and at University,” Ms. Richmond added. 

The majority of girls have gained their first-choice place at the country’s top universities including Durham University, Imperial College London, University of Manchester, London School of Economics and Edinburgh University. Girls will be studying a wide range of courses including English, Medicine, Psychology, Geography, Finance, Zoology and Veterinary Medicine and Science. Students also saw success with progression into employment and apprenticeships schemes with companies such as Greencore. 

Naomi Richardson, who achieved four A*s, said, “I am so happy. It has been a crazy two years but I am so grateful for everything. I did my Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in English. Learning beyond the syllabus was brilliant fun. It was good to explore and develop what we had already studied, looking at what really interested us. I am going on to study English at university so to go beyond the syllabus was great preparation for what is to come next year. The Mount’s all-girl environment creates such a community feel. I think we all just bonded so well and got on. You can feel the camaraderie in the air today as we all celebrate together!”  

Christina Eleftheriou, who also achieved a clean sweep of A* grades in her A Levels and an A in her EPQ, said, “I am really happy with my results, I am absolutely ecstatic. I feel the last two years has taught me a lot of resilience and perseverance. The support that I have had throughout my time at The Mount has been absolutely fantastic.”  

Winner of the Robson History Prize 2020, Phoenix Woolnough, also gained a clean sweep of A*s, she said, “I am very happy with my results. I am glad that my hard work paid off! I am also really grateful to The Mount for everything and how that has contributed to my grades. Some of the things I have enjoyed the most at School have been on the extra-curricular side.  I am really happy that I had all those opportunities, like Model United Nations, to push me outside of the classroom but also contributing to my intellectual development. It was empowering to be around like-minded girls; you never feel that you can’t say something. You feel encouraged by everyone around you and it is a positive environment, it did make my time at The Mount very special.” 

Denva Coupland, who turned up to collect her results in scrubs because she had come straight from a veterinary operation at the practice where she works, said, “I am super-chuffed with my results (1 A* & 2 As) I am going to go back to the practice to show everyone and tell my parents! I have been offered a degree apprenticeship in Veterinary Medicine at the Green Vets and I have happily accepted that. At The Mount, the all-girl environment was a massive help. There is just something about an all-girl school that gives that real community feel that I absolutely love. I came to this school feeling like I didn’t really belong in a school environment, full stop, but the incredible, welcoming community means I no longer feel that way. The all-girl aspect means everything is more relatable, nothing is embarrassing. You can just be yourself. That is what I really needed,  it is what has helped me grow into the person I am today. Two years ago, I would not have had the confidence to win a degree apprenticeship, I lacked the confidence, I would never have done it. Since joining The Mount for Sixth Form College, my confidence has grown massively. The Mount has been a life-changing factor for me,” said Denva.  

Clare Treacher, who has been at The Mount since Year 7, is celebrating her results of two A*s and one A.  Clare said, “I felt overwhelmed with happiness when I opened my results. The last two years has been really difficult for all of us. In Geography, even after we had finished our exams, we still went on to do a project about volcanoes. We enjoyed the learning so much that we opted to do it even though it was not for grades. Geography teacher Mrs Cook inspired me in the subject ever since Year 7. I chose to study Geography for GCSE and A Level and now for my degree.  

“My confidence has grown so much since joining The Mount. I know it’s cliché, but this school feels like my home more than my real home. We all feel so comfortable here that it is bit scary today to know that we are all leaving, but it is the best send off and I am excited for my future!,” said Clare. 

Rosa Burns who also achieved straight A grades said, “I am over the moon with my results. I am going to study Criminology at the University of Manchester and I want to go on to work with the Metropolitan Police. My strategy was to focus on my marks, and it has paid off. I think I am more mature now than when I first joined The Mount. I was already confident before, but The Mount has changed my perspective. Because everyone else in the same environment was working and putting in the effort, I felt motivated to work just as hard. I think that’s what made the difference.” 

Elise Tsang, who will study Dance Science said, “I’m very happy with my results! I definitely feel I have become more independent since joining The Mount in Year 7, knowing that I have a voice. I am grateful for all the teachers’ and wider staff support. It hasn’t been easy the past year or so with the pandemic, but knowing that we have had that support has been really nice. I am looking forward to the next chapter!” 

Sophie Wood, who also achieved straight A*s and As and will study Veterinary Medicine, said, “I think I have become a lot more confident being here, just because the all-girl environment creates a community where you can speak freely.” 

Georgia Morgan, who takes up a degree apprenticeship at Greencore said, “Today has been quite unexpected, a huge thank you to the teachers because I don’t think I could have done it without them.” 

Deputy Principal, Bridget Perks summed up the day, “It was wonderful to see the girls so happy with their results and share in their much-deserved success. The success is down to the hard work of the students and the high quality A Level teaching from our expert teachers. We are extremely proud of the girls and their achievements, not just today but throughout their time at The Mount. The whole cohort have been a fantastic addition to the School community.  As well as studying they have taken part in a variety of extra-curricular activities and supported younger students, particularly throughout the pandemic. I wish them all the very best for their futures.” 

The Mount wishes all of its student leavers the very best of luck with their futures. 

To find out more about The Mount School Sixth Form College scholarships and bursary funding (available for September 2021, for girls with 7+ GCSE grades 7/As & above) please contact admissions@mountschoolyork.co.uk