KING Henry VIII School maintained its high standards that have been set in recent years with its students studying A levels this year.

The percentage of student entries achieving grades A* to C grade was 78.2 percent. Nearly one third of all student entries were at grades A*/A. The percentage of student entries achieving grades A* - E was 97.5 percent.

Nicholas Oaten, headteacher at King Henry commented, "We are particularly proud of the quality education that we can provide at post-16 for any students wishing to study at King Henry VIII School. "These results represent a fantastic achievement on the part of the staff and students who have worked together with great effort and commitment to produce such a tremendous set of results.

The school also recognises the contribution that the parents and the community have made in supporting the young people in their studies. We wish all our students the very best for the future whether it be in University, Further Education or employment and training."

The staff at King Henry VIII School is very proud of the achievements of all students and have highlighted some of the individuals achievements.

Megan Parfitt, A*A*AB, James Smith A*AAC, Tom Jenkins AAAC, Tom Mogford A*AA, Chris McIndo A*AA with an A in AS Further Maths,Eleanor Maddocks A*AA, Katherine Taylor AAA, Charlotte Le Moignan AAA, Eleanor Haslegrave AAA, Alys Evans AAA, Ben Ward AABC, Naomi Williams AAB, Sophie Talbot AAB, Sophia Rigby A*BB with an A in AS French, Ellie Cashell AAB, Amy Bradley AAB with a B in AS Further Maths, Rebekah Baldwin-Jones AAB, Joshua Van-Male AAC, Jonathan Thomas AAC, Mercedes White AAD, Kate Morgan BBBC

On a countywide level Monmouthshire students have once again excelled in A Level examinations.

Results published on Thursday, August 18 show that 98.5 percent of all students taking the WJEC examination passed with grades A* to E, surpassing the Welsh average of 97.2 percent. 

Within this figure, 28 percent of students achieved the top grades of A* and A and 78.6 percent achieved A* to C. 

Students at AS Level, were equally successful with 93.1 percent attaining grades A to E, significantly exceeding the Welsh average of 86.8 percent and 21.2 percent of students achieved the top grade of A. 

This too compares favourably to the Welsh average of 16.4 percent.

County Councillor Liz Hacket Pain, cabinet member with responsibility for education, said, "These figures reflect another successful year for Monmouthshire students, I am delighted with the results and I wish them well for the future.

"Students, parents and teachers can be truly proud of the excellent results achieved at both A and AS levels."

Students looking for advice, no matter what their results, are encouraged to visit the Careers Wales website on http://www.careereswales.com">www.careereswales.com

CRICKHOWELL High School students have celebrated another year of outstanding success at A Level.

Some 64 students sat a total of 242 A2 Examinations in 2011 and achieved a pass rate of 99.2 percent.

Amongst these, 19 students gained three A grades or better, which represents 30 percent of the Year Group.

Across the board 52 percent of all the entries obtained A* or A grade; 73 percent at A* to B grade, and 86 percent at A* to C grade.

The average UCAS points per student is 400.5 which is an impressive score and ensured that almost the whole cohort secured their chosen course in higher education.

Headteacher Jackie Parker said that she was delighted with the performance of the students, adding: "These stunning results are the reward for two years of exceptional work by all students and staff. As we have seen in the press this is a difficult time for young people to find places in Higher Education and our students have done remarkably well. We wish them the very best for the future."

Powys pupils have again achieved excellent A-level results in the WJEC examinations.

More than five out of every ten results (52 percent) were at grades A*, A and B, with six percent at grade A* and a further 18 percent at grade A. Almost everyone who took an A-level in Powys passed (97 percent).

The results for 2011 are slightly lower than in 2010, mirroring the all Wales trend at the higher grades, however Powys results are once again significantly higher than those for Wales as a whole.

The Powys WJEC results at grades A*-B are more than two percent higher than the all-Wales figures (all boards) maintaining the outstanding progress seen since 2001.

The number of WJEC A-levels taken in Powys schools has risen from 1274 in 2010 to 1340 in 2011 which represents an increase of five percent. In 2010, WJEC entries represented approximately 65 percent of the total A-level entries in Powys.

Councillor Stephen Hayes, Cabinet Member for Learning and Leisure, said. "These are excellent results and clearly reflect the dedication and hard work of pupils and teachers in Powys schools.

"Our warm congratulations go to all the young people on their well deserved achievements and to all those who have supported them throughout their school careers. We wish all the students every success for the future."

SIXTH form students in Blaenau Gwent were also celebrating another successful year.

Students achieved 98.3 percent at least one grade A to E pass, 78 percent of students achieved at least one grade A to C, 86.1 percent of students achieved two or more passes at grades A to E, 32.7 percent of students achieved grades A* to B.

Councillor Des Hillman, Leader of Blaenau Gwent Council said, "Well done to our A Level students on their achievements today. I would like to wish them all the very best in their future endeavors, studies and lives.

"I would like to thank all our staff at the schools involved for their continued commitment and dedication to the education of our young people here in Blaenau Gwent. Thanks also to our governors, students and their families.

"Empowering young people to achieve their full potential is a core priority for the Council. We know that more needs to be done, but we are confident that the ambitious path we are on towards educational transformation will deliver even better outcomes for learners in Blaenau Gwent and bring even greater opportunities and success."

Sylvia Lindoe, Director of Education and Leisure at Blaenau Gwent Council, added, "Congratulations to both our young people and to the staff and parents who have supported them. Very best wishes for the future.

"Blaenau Gwent's teachers, governors and the local authority are fully committed to working together to ensure the best education services for children and young people.

"We are constantly working to drive forward educational improvements and we all have a crucial role to play in the ongoing work to raise standards. We are addressing difficult issues in transforming our education services so that we have the capacity to improve."

LOCAL students attending Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls achieved top grades in their A level exam results.

Abergavenny based Tara Vasir (pictured) gained 3 A*s and 1 A and will study medicine at Imperial College in London while Clare Williams achieved three A grades and is attending Cardiff University to read optometry.

Sophie Jones from Crickhowell gained an A* and three A grades and is studying medicine at Cardiff University.

Abigail Gray from Usk gained one A* grade and 2 A grades enabling her to studying biological Studies at Exeter University.

Overall the school recorded a 100 percent pass rate, with 79.8 percent of students achieving A* to B grades.

Mrs Helen Davy, Headmistress at HMSG said, "I am delighted that the girls' hard work over the past two years has been reflected in their excellent results.

Given the anxiety about over-subscription in what has been the hardest year to gain entry to a British university, I am very pleased to report that the vast majority of the girls have secured places at their first choice university."

A NUMBER of students from the Abergavenny area studying at Monmouth Comprehensive School's sixth form also gained a good set of results following the release of the A level and BTEC grades last Thursday.

Abergavenny based Charlie Jones achieved an A*grade along with two A grades and a C grade and has been accepted to read psychology at Cardiff University.

Sam Williams also from Abergavenny gained three A grades and has been accepted into Manchester University to read pharmacy.

Bryony Lewis from Raglan gained an A*grade along with two A grades has enabled her to reading mathematics and physics at Bristol University.

Elenid Rowlands also from Raglan achieved two A* grades enabling her to read English at Exeter University.

Achieving a distinction in the BTEC examination was Rhyan Hockey from Penpergwm who will be reading sports coaching at the University of the West of England.

Overall Monmouth Comprehensive School's pass rate was 98 percent, with over 82 percent of the students achieving the very highest three grades.