Pupils and staff at St Angela’s Ursuline School are celebrating an improvement in A-level results.
The St George’s Road, Forest Gate school has seen 53 per cent of Year 13s achieve A*-B - up on last year, where less than half achieved the grade.
The school has also seen a rise in the A*-C pass rate, with 84pc doing so compared to 75pc last year.
Top achiever was Jola Ajewole, who got A*s in pyschology and sociology and an A in business studies.
She praised her teachers for helping her get the top grades, saying: “If they hadn’t believed in me I wouldn’t have believed in myself.”
Six other pupils - Ralitsa Angelova, Rachel Annor-Agyei, Nicole Laudat, Sandra Nyarko-Yeboah, Neona Georgia Raut and Dhgevia Sharma - also secured a clean sweep of A grades.
Nicole, 18, from East Ham said she was “ecstatic” on seeing her grades in geography, English and politics, and will now be heading to Warwick.
Fellow pupil Rachel, from Stratford, said she was shocked and relieved to get A grades in religious studies, economics and history, adding: “When I told my mum she screamed!”
For Sandra, from Canning Town, her attention will now be on preparing to move to Birmingham, where she will be studying psychology.
“I think it’s a dream. I’m still in shock,” she said.
In addition, nine pupils achieved straight distinction* results in their Btec exams - the highest possible grade.
These were Stevie Darsey, Andrea Joseph, Britney Da Silva, Gabija Eltaite, Griselda Taco, Jade Balkeesoon, Meleesha Wills, Sahana Ravindran and Trinity Shaw.
This year’s results are out with debate raging over a rise in the number of unconditional offers made by universtities and the effect that had on students who know before their exams if they have a place or not.
But for most of Saint Angela’s top achievers, the impact was clear.
Jola said: “It wouldn’t motivate me personally. Grades don’t affect the way I work.”
And Nicole – who didn’t accept an unconditional offer made to her because it wasn’t her first choice – said: “If it had been Warwick I would have taken it, but still worked hard because I’m that kind of person.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here