It was a very different atmosphere on a ‘socially distanced’ A-level results day at Helston Community College yesterday - but many students who attended in person to pick up their results were delighted with their outcomes.

Student president Lucy Treloar made a big effort to make the day special by decorating the atrium area with numerous helium balloons, on a day that was fraught with confusion and concern due to the change in the way results have been determined due to the pandemic.

Headteacher Wayne Jenkins was full of praise for how the students had handled the challenges, saying: "This year group consisted of a highly motivated and ambitious collection of students, who were gearing up for their examinations when the Covid-19 crisis hit.

"We are very proud of their achievements, both academically and through their wider contribution to activities and events within the college community.

"They have demonstrated incredible maturity and resilience in coping with the uncertainty surrounding this year’s grading process.

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"I have enjoyed working with these students over a number of years; they are a wonderful group of individuals and wish them the best of luck for the future."

The Year 13 students are moving on to a variety of higher education courses, employment, further vocational training and apprenticeships.

This year sees more than 50 students bound for university, with approximately 30 per cent destined for prestigious Russell Group universities.

Falmouth Packet:

Lucy Treloar and Finlay Ford get their results

The school said it was "thrilled" to see students progressing into a wide range of fields. They include Finlay Ford who will be studying engineering at Oxford and Thomas Fogg who will be studying physics, also at Oxford.

Lucy Treloar will be starting her veterinary science degree at Bristol in September while Charlie Preece is looking forward to studying psychology at the University of Southampton and Sadie Bloor will be moving on to study the production arts for Screen at UAL. Finlay Cameron will also be attending UAL to study ceramic design.

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Joshua Monks is pursuing an exciting course in high speed rail and infrastructure and a number of students are looking forward to starting their courses at the University of Exeter, including Owen Williams, Tom Pearson and Bronwyn Williams.

Dave Dudley, assistant headteacher with responsibility for Post 16, said: “This year saw the strangest results day ever. Although students booked timeslots to collect their results, and attended in small numbers, it was a pleasure to see and congratulate the students on the day.

"We have also been supporting students who have been adversely affected by Ofqual’s grading system, and will continue to do so by email or in person over the next few days.

"For those students receiving results by post, please do contact the college if you have any concerns or queries.

"As always, I am very grateful for the effort and dedication of staff, who have challenged, inspired and supported students throughout their time with us.”

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