Harlow College students were celebrating today despite Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) having predicted that nationally results will be lower this year compared to 2022, as they return to pre-pandemic standards. This has been reflected in our grade profile, however 50% of our A Level students have achieved the higher grades of A*-C.

And our A Level students have again secured places at some of the country’s top universities including Bath, Bristol, King's College London, Edinburgh and Nottingham to study subjects such as Medicine, Law, Chinese, Sociology, Music Technology and Biochemistry.

Achievement for students on vocational courses improved overall this year with a 98% pass rate, with 60% of students gaining Merit, Distinction or Distinction* grades. These great results allow our students to progress directly to university or to take up apprenticeships as the route to combine their studies with employment.

The first full cohort of students on the new T Level courses were also celebrating today with a 100% pass rate, with 74% achieving the higher grades of Merit and Distinction. T Levels are a new technical qualification which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to three A Levels. They combine classroom theory, practical learning and an industry placement with an employer to make sure students have real experience of the workplace.

Harlow MP and Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Robert Halfon said: “T Levels provide a unique ladder of opportunity for young people to gain the knowledge and on-the-job experience needed to progress into work, an apprenticeship or higher education. All the courses have been co-designed with employers to ensure that students get the skills they need to succeed, with more providers coming onboard helping thousands of young people to progress into rewarding careers.”

Key to our students’ success was the quality of the teaching and learning. Studying at an Apple Distinguished School meant that our learners had access to digital technologies to assist them in their learning throughout their course. Strong pastoral care was also available to support students’ wellbeing and mental health, which continued throughout these challenging times.

Becky Jones, Vice-Principal of Harlow College, said: “As always, we are proud of all our students. Our 2023 graduates have shown resilience and commitment, having suffered in their GCSE years from the impact of covid. This cohort of learners have shown that dedication, hard work and determination can ensure success! We wish all our students the best of luck in their next endeavours.”

Sotirios Adamopoulos, Head of Sixth Form, said: “Success comes in different shapes and with this in mind I would like to congratulate all of our students for their achievements and to thank teachers for their hard work. I am delighted to say that many of our learners have secured places in their first choice universities and we wish them all the best on their next steps.”

Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, was equally enthusiastic. “As the MP for Harlow, I have visited the fantastic Harlow College over one hundred times since I was elected and I'm always proud to say it represents the very best of our colleges across the country. Once again, this has been proven true with another great set of exam results.

“I would like to congratulate every student receiving their results today and wish them the very best of luck in all their future endeavours as they continue to climb the ladder of opportunity, whether that be on to an apprenticeship, to university, or into employment.

“It has been a challenging year, and the results today are a testament to students across Harlow, and also to the wonderful teaching and support staff at Harlow College. Congratulations everyone!”

Among the students who achieved excellent results were:

Kamil Lawniczak, 19 – A Level student

Maths A, Chemistry A, Biology A

Going to Brighton and Sussex Medical School to study Medicine

I moved from Poland to the UK in December 2020 and Harlow College gave me the opportunity to study here and it’s been an amazing two years. My aspiration was always to study medicine and I’m really excited to be going to university. After I graduate I’m looking for a career either in neurology or neuro surgery and hopefully become a doctor. I’d really like to work with the Doctors Without Borders Foundation, which is a charity that provides humanitarian medical care.

Zane Bulmuo, 18 – A Level student

Maths A, Further Maths A, Physics C

Going to University of Bristol to study Engineering Mathematics

Engineering Mathematics is a more practical way of doing maths that can lead into areas such as aerospace engineering or civil engineering and is a way of putting everything you learned in the classroom to practical use in the real world. Despite our studies still being affected early on by covid I approached my A Levels with full confidence. Studying at university is going to be a life changing experience and I can’t wait to get started.

Emma Saunders, 18 - T Level student

Early Years Education Distinction Grade

Going to University of Brighton to study Primary Teaching

I chose a T level as it allowed me to study exactly the subject I was interested in. I originally applied to do A Levels but after seeing the T Level course on the Harlow College website I knew that was what I wanted to do. One of the things I really liked about my T Level was the opportunity to do a meaningful work placement which gave me great experience and really helped when I applied to university. They were really impressed that I’d already done two years of placement already. I’m off to Brighton University to study primary teaching. My message to anyone thinking of study a T Level would be to prepare for a lot of work, but it will be worth it, especially the industry placement, where you will gain so much experience.