Nelson and Colne College announce improved 100% A Level pass rate and increase in high grades following results U-turn

 NCC – the leading FE College in the country for A Level progress – was already celebrating another outstanding year of results, but revised figures now show an even greater performance by its A Level students after the Government’s decision to accept Centre Assessed Grades, where higher, than results already issued.

Revised figures show the number of students achieving A*-A grades has risen by a huge 12 percentage points to 37%. Those achieving high A*-B grades have risen further still by 14 percentage points to 69%, while the number of A Level students achieving A*-C grades has also increased to 91%.

The college has now gained an ALPS 1 score, as a result of the improved grades, placing it among the best of all UK schools and sixth forms for value added performance. This confirms the high-quality teaching, support, care and guidance that students receive at Nelson and Colne College and it means that A Level students at NCC perform better than those at just about any other school or sixth form in the country when starting with the same GCSE grades on entry.

Revised figures show the number of students achieving A*-A grades has risen by a huge 12 percentage points to 37%. Those achieving high A*-B grades have risen further still by 14 percentage points to 69%, while the number of A Level students achieving A*-C grades has also increased to 91%.

The college has now gained an ALPS 1 score, as a result of the improved grades, placing it among the best of all UK schools and sixth forms for value added performance. This confirms the high-quality teaching, support, care and guidance that students receive at Nelson and Colne College and it means that A Level students at NCC perform better than those at just about any other school or sixth form in the country when starting with the same GCSE grades on entry.

Once again, the College is seeing students progress to some of the top universities in the country, including the University of Oxford, University College London, Durham University, the University of Manchester, the University of Leeds, and the University of York, while other students have successfully gained Apprenticeships and employment.

Bethany Waterhouse, 18, from Trawden, saw both her Biology and Chemistry grades downgraded prior to the U-turn, but she has now been awarded the Centre Assessed Grades of A*A*A in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.

A former student at Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham, Bethany will switch the chemistry of dance for that of the laboratory as she decided a career in ballet was not her future. She will instead progress on to the University of York to study Chemistry, opening new doors in the science industry.

Bethany said: “I’m much happier with my results now as they are more representative of what I feel I would have achieved had I sat my exams. I was extremely disappointed with Chemistry before the U-turn as that is the subject I am going to study and I was planning to re-sit it to improve my grade before the decision to accept the Centre Assessed Grades was made.”

During her time at College, Bethany was part of a team of three students from Nelson and Colne College who finished third in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s national annual analytical competition in 2019.

Bethany added: “I have enjoyed my time at College because there is a friendly atmosphere, which allows you to develop as a person and narrow your focus onto the university course or career goal which is right for you.

“I would recommend Nelson and Colne College for the excellent student support network and for the staff who are always there to help you. There are also many opportunities available to enhance your studies and enrich your personal statement and CV.”

Assistant Principal for Academic Curriculum at Nelson and Colne College Group Fionnuala Swann said: “I am extremely pleased and grateful that students are now being awarded Centre Assessed Grades. We as a College feel these grades reflect far more accurately the ability of our students and our predictions of what they would have achieved, had they sat their A Level exams in summer.

“It should be highlighted that these updated A Level results are robust results in their own right, and the Centre Assessed Grades have been calculated using rigorous methodology with teacher assessment, and moderation by Heads of Division and the Senior Leadership Team.

“We are exceptionally proud of the Class of 2020, and how they have responded to an unsettling and unprecedented moment in history. We wish them the best of luck as they progress onto their next steps, be it university, an Apprenticeship or employment.”

Nelson and Colne College is one of the leading colleges nationally across a range of academic measures – 16-18 classroom learner achievement, 16-18 Advanced Apprenticeship timely achievement, A Level progress and GCSE Mathematics and English progress. Nelson and Colne College is also the number one college in the country for student satisfaction.