A Level Results Day 2026: Schools celebrate students’ successes

Paul JonesAugust 13, 20260 Comment0

THOUSANDS of young people across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire are collecting their A-Level results today.

As they look forward to the next step in their academic journey, for the schools themselves it is a chance to look back and celebrate their achievements.

Here are updates from some of our schools…

Sturminster Newton High School

Students, families and staff at Sturminster Newton High School are celebrating A-Level, BTEC and Level 3 results.

“While today provides an opportunity to recognise some exceptional individual achievements, it is first and foremost a celebration of an entire year group,” a school spokesperson said.

“We are incredibly proud of every student collecting results, recognising that success looks different for every young person and that each grade represents hard work, perseverance and personal achievement.”

Among those celebrating outstanding success is Leon, who achieved AAB and will be progressing to University College London (UCL) to study Astrophysics.

Luke achieved A, A, Distinction and will continue his studies at the University of West England, where he will study Sports Rehabilitation, while Ava achieved ABB and will be taking up a place at the University of Southampton to study Fine Art.

Students from Sturminster Newton High School

Alongside the impressive individual achievements, the school said it was “particularly proud of the progress made by many students throughout their Sixth Form studies”.

Olivia, who will be progressing to study Chemistry at York University, Darcey, who is moving on to study Aerospace and Aeronautics, George, who will continue his education through a degree in History and Archaeology, and Scott, who has secured a prestigious place at University Campus of Football Business, based at Wembley Stadium, where he will study football coaching.

Mike Motteram, headteacher, said: “Today is a day of immense pride for our entire school community. While we celebrate some outstanding individual achievements, we are equally proud of every student receiving results today.

“Success is about more than grades alone. It is about the effort, commitment and resilience shown along the way and the confidence to take the next step towards future ambitions.

“At SNHS we really do believe that it takes a village to raise a child and to help young people achieve their potential. These successes have been made possible through the commitment of our students, the support of their families, and the dedication of our teachers and support staff who work tirelessly to help every young person flourish.”

Samuel Ling, sixth form head, added: “We are incredibly proud of our students and their successes today. Every grade, successful application, and next step, is a result of their individual journey, facing their challenges not alone, but surrounded by the teachers and staff who know them.

“We have long embraced the principle of Kaizen, making small improvements each day, in a supportive environment, leads to greater success in the long term.”

The Gryphon School Sixth Form, Sherborne

At The Gryphon Sixth Form in Sherborne, 30 students achieved three A grades or higher, with 79 students achieving at least one A grade or above – nearly 50% of students in the year group. Six students achieved three A* grades or above.

Meanwhile, the school maintained an impressive average A-Level grade of B-, while more than 90% of students achieved A*-C in Ancient History, Chemistry, Economics, History, Music, Drama and Fine Art.

Headteacher Jim Gower said: “We are immensely proud of what our students have achieved this year. These results are a testament to their hard work, determination and ambition, and they should feel rightly proud of everything they have accomplished.

Students from The Gryphon School in Sherborne

“Behind every success is a huge amount of commitment from our students, their families and our dedicated staff, and I would like to thank everyone who has played a part.

“This year’s achievements are a wonderful reflection of the strength, spirit and ambition of The Gryphon community, and we are delighted to celebrate them together.”

Head of sixth form, Laura Rowe, added: “I am delighted with these results for our brilliant students, they have worked so hard over these last two years. The focus and commitment they have demonstrated throughout their studies has been inspirational.

“Students continue in their next steps beyond The Gryphon, having grown and flourished into mature, successful and confident young adults.

Students from The Gryphon School in Sherborne

“The vast majority of students are heading to university while others have sourced fantastic opportunities in apprenticeships and employment, in which they will continue to hone their skills and experience success. I can’t wait to see what they go onto achieve.”

Among successes was Jacob Hughes, who achieved 3 A*s and an A, in Economics, English Literature, EPQ, and History.

“I’m really happy with my results, and I’m looking forward to going on to study History and English at Pembroke College, Oxford,” he said.

Subhiksha Navaneethan achieved 3 A*s, in Biology, Chemistry and Fine Art, and is taking a gap year before applying for dentistry and said: “It doesn’t feel real, I’m so happy.”

Elsewhere, Esther Maynard also got 4 A*s – in Geography, History, Religious Studies and EPQ – and is going on to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oriel College, Oxford.

Ben Molineux achieved 2 A*s – in Photography and 3D Art – a Merit in Digital Content Production, and an A in his EPQ, for which he crafted his own lute.

Having taught himself to plasma cut and weld in his spare time, he went above and beyond the course requirements to achieve top grades, the school said, and is heading to Hertfordshire University to study model and prop making for the film industry.

Students from The Gryphon School in Sherborne

Brooke Hosking achieved A*, A, A, B in Fine Art, Chemistry, Biology and AS Maths, and successfully secured a place to study Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey.

“I’m very relieved, I’ve always wanted to be a vet, and I worked really hard for these exams,” she said.

A total of 82% of students have accepted places to their chosen universities, with courses including Aeronautics and Astronautics, Ancient History, Broadcast and Digital Journalism, Chemical Engineering, Comic and Concept Art, Creative Writing, Game Development, Interior Design, International Development, Law, Mathematics, Musical Theatre, Nuclear Engineering, and Palaeontology to name a few.

Students have also secured highly sought-after degree apprenticeships at employers including Leonardo Helicopters, the RAF, Honeywells, and Avon & Somerset Police.

Shaftesbury School

Sixth Form students celebrated their A Level and BTEC results, with 47 students receiving qualifications across a wide range of academic and vocational subjects.

Most students completed A Level programmes, while 12 students successfully achieved one or more BTEC or vocational qualifications.

Nearly 20% of the A Level grades were at A* or A, with more than 36% at A* to B.

Meanwhile, over 27% of students achieved at least one A* or A grade, or the equivalent vocational outcome.

“Students can be rightly proud of what they have achieved,” a spokesperson said.

Students from Shaftesbury School

“It is important to remember that it is not all about the top grades, and all students have worked incredibly hard to achieve what they have, battling pressures of balancing schoolwork, paid employment, responsibilities of caring for family members, or being separated from those they love.”

Subjects including Graphics, Computing, Health and Social Care, Travel and Tourism, Classical Civilisation and Psychology have performed particularly well, the school said, with classes overall exceeding their target grades.

“Particular note should go to Sport BTEC where over half of the class exceeded their statistical target grade,” they added.

Students will now progress to university destinations including Cardiff, Durham, Exeter and Southampton, while others will begin apprenticeships in areas such as business and finance.

Deputy head of Sixth Form, Chris Almond, said: “I am enormously proud of all of our students and what they have achieved over the last two years. We look forward to hearing how they progress in the next stage of their careers.”

Students from Shaftesbury School

Sherborne Girls

Sherborne Girls celebrated another year of academic success, including 45% of all A Level grades awarded at A/A*; 22% of pupils achieving three or more A*/A grades, with five securing a straight profile of A*s.

Meanwhile, 64% of EPQ candidates achieved A/A* (completed by 24% of the cohort) and all pupils completing B/CTECs secured Distinction or Merit in their subjects.

The school said 86% of pupils applying had already secured a place at one of their chosen universities to study courses including Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Music, Medicine, Banking and Finance, Economics, Arabic and Politics, Land Economy, Modern and Medieval Languages and History and French.

All pupils with offers from Cambridge met or exceeded their required grades, as did others with places at London School of Economics, University College London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Durham, Leeds, the Royal Veterinary College and the Royal College of Music, to name but a few.

Dr Ruth Sullivan, head, said: “I am truly delighted for this cohort who have not only worked incredibly hard throughout their Sixth Form, as shown by their fantastic examination results, but also contributed so generously to all areas of school life, been wonderful role models and an absolute pleasure to work with.”

A spokesperson said: “Our sincere thanks go to parents of these pupils along with the staff, all who have shown unwavering support, encouragement and inspiration to this wonderful cohort.

“Our congratulations also extend to the pupils at Sherborne Boys and our thanks to our colleagues there, on another year of excellent results.”

Sherborne Boys

At Sherborne Boys, the Upper Sixth received their A Level and BTEC results today, with 1 in 3 of all A Level entries graded A*/A, and 15% of the cohort achieving three or more grades at A*/A.

Boys taking B/CTEC qualifications also excelled, with 78% awarded Distinction* or Distinction across subjects including Media, Sport and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.

A total of 80% have secured places at their chosen universities, including Oxford, Durham, LSE, Manchester, Warwick, Edinburgh, Exeter, Newcastle, Cardiff, Bath and Kings College London, as well as conservatoires and other specialist institutions including the Courtauld.

They will be reading subjects including Law, History, Maths, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Languages, Economics, Business and Finance among others, while some are pursuing excellent alternative routes, including overseas universities.

Headmaster, Simon Heard, said: “These results are testament to the hard work and sustained effort of the boys and the professionalism and commitment of their teachers. All this alongside an extraordinary array of other curricular and co-curricular activities mean our boys head into the world as rounded young men.

“They should be very proud of their achievements, as we are of them.

“Our thanks go to parents for their unwavering support and to our staff for their dedication in helping the boys achieve their full potential. We would also like to extend our congratulations to our colleagues and pupils at Sherborne Girls on their excellent results this summer.”