All students at Thomas Alleyne Academy in Stevenage who applied to university have got their first choice after receiving their A-level results today.

The pass rate at the academy for A*-E was 98 per cent.

Julie Lewis, head of sixth form said: “We are delighted and proud to say that all of our students who have applied to university or higher apprenticeships have secured places of their choice. The AS-level pass rate has increased to 93 per cent this academic year and we are looking forward to welcoming our students into year 13.

“We are particularly proud of the higher grades our A-level students have achieved, which have improved by more than 25 per cent this year – at a time when the national trend over the last three years has remained fairly static.”

Headteacher Mark Lewis said: “We are delighted with our students’ results. We have seen huge improvements in our sixth form provision which has been the result of excellent teaching, dedicated students and our innovative study skills programme which aims to enhance a range of skills designed to develop independent thinking and problem solving.

“On this happy day, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our students on their outstanding success and to thank them for their commitment to our community and the work they have done for younger students in helping others to aim high and succeed.”

Among the high achievers was Jacob Miller, who has accepted a place at the University of Essex to study politics.

About his time at the academy, he said: “At every point I’ve been given great support and guidance. At first I didn’t know what I wanted to do – I didn’t have a goal in mind. I was given the space and support to figure out what interested me, and once I had figured it out I had more motivation to do well. That really helped me to achieve these grades – an A, a B and a C.

“I’m also really grateful for the help I received when applying for university. The teachers here took me through my options, helped me to identify the most suitable university and guided me through the application process and writing my personal statement. Going to university to study politics has now become reality – I can’t wait.”

Graham Picket, who held the post of head boy in 2015, said: “Everything from the teaching to the extracurricular activities have been excellent at Thomas Alleyne. My role as head boy and working with student parliament helped me to gain confidence, which in turn strengthened my academic ability.

“I’ve been through a lot and had numerous setbacks, but I’m pleased to say that I got two As and a C, and I got accepted into my first-choice university – Leicester.

“I had to wait until today to plan the rest of my life, so now I can actually develop my ambitions for the future.”