A RECORD number of Oldham Sixth Form College (OSFC) students have secured places at Russell Group universities in a year of very strong results despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 results are unlike any before as students were not able to sit A Level, AS Level or GCSE exams, nor complete their Applied General courses.
Instead, schools and colleges submitted Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs) for every student and these have been moderated by the awarding bodies.
OSFC’s A Level and Applied General results are very strong and a record number of students have secured places at Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, as well as sending the highest number in the college’s history to study Medicine and Dentistry.
There are many other superb outcomes in terms of both progression to a wide range of universities and degree courses or to other excellent options, including apprenticeships and employment, while a number of students are taking gap years before moving onto Higher Education in 2021.
Jayne Clarke, Executive Principal, said “Although this has been a very different and challenging year for everyone, we are very proud of our students’ resilience and hard work, which have enabled them to secure these results, albeit through a very different process, placing them very strongly for their chosen progression routes.
“Our fantastic staff, too, moved to online delivery overnight and have supported students incredibly effectively.
“We wish all our students the very best of luck on the next steps in their futures, whether this be at university, on an apprenticeship or in employment.”
The college is proud to offer a wide choice of A Levels and a 4 AS Level programme for A Level students in Year 12, giving students a full external exam experience in their first year, a greater number of qualifications than offered by most sixth form providers, and flexibility about subject choices on progression through to Year 13.
The AS Levels took on special importance this year as part of the calculations of CAGs, highlighting how valuable these qualifications remain.