A Level success for girls at Merchant Taylors’

Headmistress Claire Tao has paid tribute to the hard work of students and staff at Merchant Taylor’s Girls’ School following another excellent A Level performance, despite the educational challenges created by Covid-19 restrictions this year.

Almost two-thirds of all grades were A*- A, while more than 83% of all grades were A*-B. Three girls, Melissa Hennessey, Maisie Lavelle and Ciara Losty, achieved straight A* grades.

Melissa Hennessy (L), Maisie Lavelle (R) and Ciara Losty achieved straigth A* grades

Melissa will be reading Natural Sciences at Durham and Maisie, a passionate tennis player, who is leaving to study Sport and Exercise Science with a placement year at Loughborough University.

More than 95% of girls are leaving to take up university places across the UK and beyond, the range of courses being studied by girls include Archaeology and History at York, Biochemistry at Imperial College London, Law at Leeds, Geography at Newcastle and Biomedical Sciences at Warwick.

Molly Dean has won a full scholarship to the Northern Ballet School and Shy Shyamsunthar will take up her place on the highly competitive Art Foundation course at Central St Martins, London.

This year, following the cancellation of examinations, grades were awarded through a process of teacher assessed grades, against a national standard and approved and awarded by the exam boards. Throughout periods of enforced lockdown and isolation, Merchant Taylors’ delivered online lessons, tutorials, assessments and support to girls in all year groups every day.

Claire Tao, headmistress at Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, said: “Our A Level results reflect our track record of success and are testament to the girls’ hard work, motivational teaching both in school and remotely and the support they’ve received from staff and from their parents throughout the past 18 months.

“We are very proud of all that the pupils have achieved. The courage, grace and tenacity they have shown during a time where the educational goal posts were constantly changing should be applauded. There is no doubt that all of these attributes will serve them well in their future endeavours beyond School and they can now look ahead to fulfilling their ambitions, becoming the strong, capable women we know they will become and making a positive difference to the world.”