Students at Withington Girls’ School have celebrated an outstanding set of results in their A Level and GCSE examinations this summer, with top grades aplenty; 60.9% of grades achieved by the A Level Class of 2022 were at A* and 86.8% at A* or A, while 55% of GCSE grades were attained at the coveted grade 9.

In the first public examinations for schools across the country since 2019, Withington’s A Level cohort saw 42% of students achieve three or more A* grades, with 75% attaining a clean sweep of A*/As. In the GCSE group, four in five papers (80.6%) were marked as grade 9 or 8.

Withington’s Headmistress, Mrs Sarah Haslam, congratulated those who had secured a place at their chosen university, including 51 students at Russell Group universities.  Eight will take up places at Oxford and Cambridge - along with two 2021 leavers – to read a broad range of degree subjects. Courses in Medicine or Dentistry lie ahead for 14 of the leavers as well as two Class of 2021 students. 

Messenger Newspapers: Withington Girls' SchoolWithington Girls' School (Image: Withington Girls' School)

“Each student has been on their own unique journey – for some the road travelled has led to the opening of doors to top universities, to starting on a path to careers as diverse as engineering, law, medicine, acting, music, fashion, computing, game design and production and, for others, simply pausing to reflect on next steps and to savour the moment,” she said.

Mrs Haslam added that this group of students, while applying themselves fully to their academic studies, had not overlooked their broader talents, interests, personal development and social responsibility during their time at Withington. “Despite the pandemic, the 2022 leavers engaged in a wide array of extra-curricular activities throughout Sixth Form, from school and community partnership projects to ‘virtual’ concerts and recitals, achieving success in sporting and academic competitions and activities such as Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise and MUN. Our Class of 2022 are wonderful role models and have made a fantastic contribution,” she said.

Messenger Newspapers: Withington Girls' SchoolWithington Girls' School (Image: Withington Girls' School)

Praising this year’s GCSE pupils for their depth of character and involvement in school life, as well as their academic attainment, Mrs Haslam said, “They have been resilient, compassionate and caring throughout the challenges of the last two years.  The vast majority of our Year 11s have chosen to remain at Withington and we look forward to watching them continue to develop and grow as they start their careers in Sixth Form. There are many exciting opportunities ahead and they are joined by new students from schools across Greater Manchester and beyond, who have also excelled in their GCSE examinations.”
Open Days for entry to Withington Girls’ School will be held on Thursday 3rd November and Saturday 5th November – see www.wgs.org for more details on 2023 Admissions.