Leeds Sixth Form College and Leeds City College students have been celebrating their GCSE and BTEC results.

This was the first time exams have taken place since 2019, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 and 2021 students received results based on teacher-assessed grades.

Grades, nationally, were as expected, lower on average this year with the government being keen to reverse ‘grade inflation’.

But at Leeds City College and Leeds Sixth Form College (LSFC) many students were happy to have secured the results they needed to move on to A levels, apprenticeships or T Levels.

Travis Daly was delighted with his results after achieving a 7 grade in English language, 5s in maths and English literature, and 4s in business and an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).

And he was full of praise for LSFC, where he did his exams through the Step-up Pathway, which helps students aged 16 to 18 gain GCSEs.

‘An amazing college full of camaraderie’

He said: “These results have exceeded what I was hoping for.

“I’ve found it amazing here. I really preferred the camaraderie of the college, it was significantly better than my secondary school where everyone was just in little factions fighting against each other.

“Here, everyone just gets along. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you are, everyone’s just together – we’re all friends. I owe the college so much – my teachers were contacting me almost every day to ask me how I was getting on. I’m so happy to know I’m now going to be doing A levels, it’s the best feeling.”

Travis is planning to do A levels in history, law and politics with Leeds Sixth Form College, and then aims to study law at the University of Toronto, in Canada.

A route back into education

Ro Elliott was also celebrating some great results despite having had to sit her five GCSEs, through LSFC’s Step-up programme, while suffering from the flu.

She achieved a grade 7 in biology and chemistry, a 6 in physics and 5s in English and maths. She is now planning to study A levels in biology, chemistry and psychology – with a goal of progressing into medicine.

She said: “My time here has been really enjoyable. I wasn’t really in full time education for a lot of secondary school which is why I didn’t get the opportunity to do my GCSEs properly, so the fact the college introduced this course was really beneficial to me.

“And the fact it was only three days a week as well felt like a really good introductory step to getting back into education.”

A great alternative to school

Libby Watkins is looking forward to studying science-focused A levels at LSFC after getting the GCSE grades she needed in maths, English and science.

Reflecting on her time at Leeds City College’s 14+ Academies, which provides an alternative learning environment to school for young adults, she said: “It’s been really good, I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere which is so friendly.

“The teachers here are good too, they’re nice people – human! Going back to high school wasn’t an option for me and home schooling wasn’t getting me quite as far as I needed to be. So I joined here not realising how good it actually was at first.”

Balancing studying with parenting

Many adult learners have also been celebrating their results. Kertu Babik, whose first language is Estonian, was celebrating getting all 9s and 8s in her five GCSEs (maths, English, combined science and citizenship).

She said: “It was interesting at Leeds Sixth Form College. At first I was a bit worried because it was my first time studying in the English language. It took a few weeks but then it felt good, and the teachers were inspiring and motivating, and made me feel really welcome.

“I’ve got two kids, one aged two and one four, so one of the hardest things was to be on time for classes, and to study after they had gone to sleep!”

Kertu is now heading to the University of Leeds to study an Interdisciplinary Science with Foundation Year course, with a view to progressing into medicine.

Reflecting on this year’s results, Niki McKenna, Interim Headteacher of the 14+ Academies, said: “GCSE results day is always full of all sorts of emotions but the key thing we feel today is pride, because of how our young people have dealt with a really tough year.

“Our learners have probably been most affected by Covid-19 in terms of the amount of teaching they’ve missed, but we’re really proud of the resilience, determination and character they’ve shown to push through that. And we’re really happy with the level of progress that they’ve made.

“We’ve worked really hard to make them happy and confident individuals and spent a lot of time working on holistic skills to help them be resilient, while also focusing on their academic progress.”

More details on the 14+ Academies can be found here.

Prince William has heaped praise on Leeds Sixth Form College and Leeds City College students during a visit to Leeds.

HRH the Duke of Cambridge was in the city to present the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the UK’s highest award for volunteer groups – to CATCH Leeds, which runs a popular youth centre in Harehills.

A number of students volunteer regularly for the charity, and enjoyed showing the Prince some of the many activities they support, including animal care – they look after 12 goats – and table tennis.

CATCH also provides a weekly activity session for children evacuated from Afghanistan, and the Prince spoke to a group of recently evacuated Afghan refugees during his visit, too.

The Leeds Sixth Form College and Leeds City College students who were at CATCH Leeds for the 30 November award presentation were: Solomon Balica (Sport Science), Shakila Begum (A levels), Samuel Balica (Customer Service), Elona Gangal (Health and Social Care), Kevin Scuka (Sport Science), Aman Ali (Business), Artjom Tuguzovs (Uniform Services), Talanah Shareeka Fray (Childcare and Education), and Gabriel Mendes (Engineering).

A huge honour

Health and Behaviour Lead at Leeds City College, Lauren Turnbull, said: “The prince had a tour around CATCH, spoke to our volunteers, and also presented us with our Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

“It was a huge honour for us all, and the students all did great.

“All of our students who are regular volunteers with the charity were involved on the day – and Shakila was also part of a more personal conversation with Prince William, when she talked to him about her background and experiences, and her journey with CATCH.

“Solomon was part of the conversations with the Prince, too, about how we built our educational farm and how we look after the goats.”

Leeds Sixth Form College student Solomon, posting online on the day, said: “This has to be one of my proudest days meeting His Royal Highness Prince William @CATCHLeeds.

“Never did I ever think this was going to happen to me…a Romanian boy living in Harehills.

“This visit has inspired and motivated so many of us.”

During his meeting with the Afghan families, meanwhile, the Prince praised the bravery it took to start new lives in the UK, and thanked those who had risked everything by working for the British Government.

Leeds City College students Hossein Saeedi and Sanga Ahmadi were among those he talked to at a local hotel.

Hossein, who worked as an interpreter in Afghanistan before leaving three months ago with his partner and their ten year old son, is currently studying GCSE maths and English.

A welcoming and powerful message

He said that meeting a member of the Royal Family had been a great pleasure, and said that the Prince had delivered a warm, welcoming and powerful message to the group.

Sanga, who arrived in the UK with her family in 2015, said: “The Prince was very keen to meet us and he was a very nice and kind person.

“He asked us about how life had been since moving to the UK and settling here, how the local community had welcomed us, and about my husband and the army regiment he’d worked with.

“And he expressed his gratitude to us and welcomed us to the UK. It was an honour meeting him.”

Sanga is studying ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Entry Level 3 and has also started a Childcare course with a view to working in that field.

Programme Manager for ESOL Community & Outreach at Leeds City College, Alison Suckley, said: “Sanga has been with the ESOL department for about three years now and survived / thrived on the online work during the lockdowns, thanks to the hard work of her teacher, Szerena Meljan.

“Teachers in the ESOL department have made a lot of effort this year to help students progress to other courses in the Adult and Community department, which will hopefully lead to employment.”

Tweeting after his visit, Prince William said: “In Leeds today to celebrate the welcoming, diverse, resilient communities across the nation who are coming together to support those in need.

“The people of Yorkshire, along with thousands across the UK, are providing vital support to those who have recently evacuated Afghanistan.”

Amazing volunteers are an inspiration

Referring to CATCH, he added: “Youth charities around the UK play such an important role in ensuring the future generation are given every chance to fulfil their ambitions.

“None more so than @CATCHLeeds, a youth-led charity located in one of the more deprived areas of Leeds. These young people are so inspiring – hearing their stories, what they’ve experienced and how they now want to help the next generation to ensure they don’t have to face the same difficulties is amazing.

“Congratulations on receiving the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.”

All 15 councils in Yorkshire and the Humber have promised to resettle Afghan refugees whose lives would be in danger in Afghanistan, or who helped British forces.

For more details on CATCH Leeds visit catchleeds.co.uk.