Students secure wide range of courses at prestigious universities
Students at Bedales - including many who progressed from Bedales Prep, Dunhurst (indicated by †) - are celebrating securing places at some of the most prestigious educational institutions following the publication of A Level results this year, with 90% of students securing their first choice university.
This year’s high achievers include: Eloise Cooper†, who achieved three A*s in English Literature, History and Religious Studies, as well as a further A* in her Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), and is set to study History at the University of Exeter; Maggie Luo, who was awarded three A*s in Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and A in Further Mathematics, and will go on to study Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London; Orlando Closs, who achieved three A*s in English Literature, Mathematics and Physics; Felix Duguid, who gained three A*s in Economics, History and Politics, and will take up a place at University College London (UCL) to study History and Politics of the Americas; Nay Murphy, who achieved three A*s in Drama and Theatre, English Literature and Religious Studies, and will continue his theatre studies at École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris; and Head Student Arthur Richardson†, who received three A*s in Photography, Drama and Theatre, and English Literature, and will study English Literature at the University of Glasgow. Jake Morris, who achieved three A*s in History, Politics and Photography, is currently working on a filming project in Cyprus and will take a gap year to focus on other film and photography projects before he takes up a place to study History at the University of Bristol next year.
Other students receiving high grades include: Jacob Heneghan†, who achieved a D1 (equivalent to A*) in Global Perspectives Pre-U, an A* in English Literature and two As in Religious Studies and Spanish, and will take up a place to study Politics and International Relations at the University of Bristol in September 2022; Head Student Ewan McConville†, who was awarded two A*s in Russian and Religious Studies and an A in English Literature, and will take up a place on the Russian Studies course at the University of Manchester; and Molly Montagu, who gained two A*s in Art and Physics, and As in Mathematics and her EPQ, and will study Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art.
Maddy Upton, a music exhibitioner, gained two A*s in Biology and Geography, an A in Religious Studies and a B in her EPQ, and will study Geography at the University of Bristol; Claude Barker, a music scholar, was awarded an A* in Latin, a D2 (equivalent to A*) in Music Pre-U, an A in History, and an additional A in Greek AS Level, and will go on to study Classics at the University of Edinburgh; Song Kinsman achieved two A*s in Fashion and Textiles and French and A in Religious Studies and has secured a place to read French and Philosophy at UCL; Ed Marshall-Smith† received two A*s and an A in Geography, Psychology and Economics; Esme Chancellor was awarded two A*s and an A in Fashion and Textiles, English Literature and Religious Studies and will take up a place on the City & Guilds Art Foundation; and Isla Paine, who was awarded a place on the prestigious Army Officer Scholarship Scheme last year, also gained two A*s and an A in Art, Product Design and Religious Studies, and will study Product Design at Manchester Metropolitan University before undertaking 42 weeks of officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Max Caviedes-Haig achieved A* in Biology and two As in Chemistry and Mathematics and will study Medical Sciences at the University of Exeter; Gully Dickinson, an academic scholar, was awarded an A* in Psychology and two As in Art and Religious Studies; Clara Batty, a music exhibitioner, gained a D2 (equivalent to A*) in Music Pre-U and two As in Mathematics and Further Mathematics; and Evie Adams† received an A* and two As in Psychology, Biology and Dance and will read Psychology at the University of Bath from next September.
Other students taking up places at universities featured in the 2021 QS Top 100 World University Rankings include Gemini Wang, who will study Philosophy at UCL after gaining an A* in Religious Studies and three As in Mathematics, Further Mathematics and her EPQ; Bryn Bidwell-Richards, an academic scholar, who will study Astrophysics at UCL after achieving an A* in Physics, two As in Chemistry and Mathematics, and a B in Further Mathematics; Charlotte Land, who will take up a place at the University of Bristol to study Sociology, after being awarded an A* in Dance and two As in Biology and English Literature; Head Student Emilia Barnsdale Ward†, who will read Ancient and Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh after achieving four As in English Literature, History, Politics and her EPQ; and Laurie Dickinson, who will study English Literature at the University of Glasgow after he was awarded an A* in English Literature, an A in Art and a B in Religious Studies.
Bedales’ strong reputation in the performing arts continues this year. August Janklow, who achieved an A* in Drama and Theatre, as well as two As in English Literature and Classical Civilisation, will study Acting and Contemporary Theatre at East 15 Acting School, and Millie Bolton†, who gained two As in Dance and Psychology and a B in Biology, will study Popular Music at Leeds Conservatoire. Other Bedalians will take up places at conservatoires including the Royal Academy of Music and Berklee College of Music, Boston.
A number of other students have opted to continue their art and design education. Roo Trim, who achieved three A*s in Art, English Literature and Religious Studies and an A in her EPQ, will take up a place on the Foundation course at the prestigious Central Saint Martins, and Alice Hockey, who gained two As in English Literature and Psychology, a B in Art and a C in her EPQ, has been awarded a scholarship to study Illustration at the University of Dundee. Other students are taking up places at the Architectural Association School of Architecture (the AA) on the Architecture Foundation course; the University of Edinburgh to study Graphic Design; Falmouth University to study Photography; and the prestigious Central Saint Martins, on the Foundation course. This is also the first year that students have completed Bedales’ new Digital Photography A Level.
QS Top 100 universities also feature for other Bedales students from this year’s cohort and recent leavers including courses in History of Art at St Catherine’s, University of Oxford; Philosophy at Gonville & Caius, University of Cambridge; Religion, Society and Culture at Durham University; Biological Sciences at Imperial College London; Liberal Arts at the University of Nottingham; Russian Studies at the University of Manchester; Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies at UCL; and Liberal Arts at King’s College London.
US universities have also been a popular choice for Bedalians this year, with students taking up places at QS Top 100 listed Cornell University, Columbia University, and the University of Washington in addition to Dartmouth College.
Magnus Bashaarat, Head of Bedales, said: “Congratulations to our sixth form leavers. They should be proud of their achievements in the face of the unprecedented challenges over the last two years. Like so many young people, our students showed great adaptability and resilience in coping with the changes and uncertainty. I wish them well with their studies as they progress to a myriad of courses across the sciences, arts and humanities. I would also like to pay tribute to my dedicated colleagues who provided such high quality teaching and support to our students during the disruption and closures.”
Notes:
† indicates that student attended Bedales Prep, Dunhurst prior to Bedales Senior.
'First choice university' relates to UCAS firm choice university.
Grades are subject to appeal.
Photo by Jake Morris, one of the first student cohort to take the new A Level in Photography at Bedales.