The number of boys achieving 3A*/As or more leapt this year – 75 boys. Two boys – Robert Kinder and Edward Bosson – posted 6A*s, and in Bosson’s case this was especially noteworthy for he coxed an outstanding 1st VIII to a Henley semi-final during the exam period. A number of departments especially distinguished themselves: English, once again, under Christopher Ellott’s imaginative tutelage, achieved 72% A*/A and 98% A*/A/B. The important thing here is that he welcomes any boy to his fold, and so a number of his success stories came from boys who had found academic things something of a challenge. Garry Wiseman's Maths continues to be a beacon of excellence. 62 boys took Single Maths, approaching half the year cohort, and over third got A*. 78% A*/A, a truly stunning performance. The Further Mathematicians (22 of them) also achieved a A*/A% approaching 80%; Radley was recently named the outstanding school for Further Maths by the Good Schools' Guide. Simon Barlass’s Modern Languages results were exceptional – 86% of the French entry achieved A*/A (30 candidates), and 78% of the Spanish entry of 23 (the department now led by Simon Dalrymple) got A*/A (43% got A* in fact). History (66 candidates) under Terry Scammell Jackson is now the largest A level department and can serve as a refuge for weak boys keen for a subject to take to A level; given its very mixed profile, 88% A*/A/B is a major achievement. The same applies to Politics, another capacious holdall of a subject, welcoming all-comers; here, exceptionally, Rob McMahon nudged and guided 30 of his candidates to A*s or As. As I have emphasised before, Radley does not purge boys at the end of the Fifth Form. For us, the covenant is for five years; many other schools are much more ruthless. Central to our success in this his last year, is Robin Schofield, and his Learning Support team.
There is one other notable development. 38 boys in the end voluntarily submitted their 6000 word Extended Project, pioneers of our SOTSOG initiative. This work was of a very high standard – genuinely original research. Over 76% achieved an A* or an A (indeed 21 boys got A*) Andrew Cunningham masterminded this and deserves great credit. The UCAS points equivalent from these have ensured that our average points per candidate this year is comfortably a record at 472 – equal to more than AAAB, or A*A*BB.
Despite all that, we have been busier than ever finding boys with university places when they have failed to meet their often horrendously demanding offers. Contrary to media horror stories, we have seen some movement. For example, one boy in C Social in that most difficult area, Medicine, was asked for AAA of which one must be Chemistry. Proving the value of taking 4 A levels, he achieved AAAB, but the B was in Chemistry. UCL took him. A number of boys fell back on their insurance offers. 14 boys have places despite technically missing offers. In sum, of 135 boys in the cohort, 120 have university places, and 15 have decided to go round again, re-taking elements of one or two A levels. This is more than recently, but better than many of our peers. That forth A level has provided an invaluable safety net.
We had fewer expectations of the Fifth Form, the GCSE year group. In the event, as a group they did outstandingly well with 85.42% achieving A*/A. Given that in many subjects boys sit IGCSE rather than GCSE, a markedly more sensible, demanding and testing exam than GCSE, comparisons with previous years are difficult. In fact, this would be a record year, too. 67 boys achieved A* or A in 10 subjects, double the number in 2010; 7 boys (J. Bosson, R. Hill, C. Huntingford, F.Neate, T.Saunders, F.Rendall, W.Treadwell) achieved a completely full house of A*, a tremendous performance.
Once again we have eschewed League Tables this August. We have long felt that results to a great extent reflect on entry; it is completely unsurprising that rigorously selective schools approach 100% A*/A/B at A level or 100% A*/A at GCSE – so they should. Radley’s entry continues mixed, and for us the bottom set boy on entry who thereafter achieves A*s and As at A level is our true measure of the school’s success. We now enter unchartered waters in Tertiary Education; such is the competition that it appears likely that in the future more Radleians will seek training/ internships/entry straight into business after A levels rather than as graduates.