Jewish schools are once again celebrating a strong showing at A-level with JCoSS enjoying its “best ever” results.

At the cross-communal secondary school, 53 per cent of A-levels were at A or A* or their equivalent for technical qualifications- one per cent higher than last year.

JCoSS headteacher Dr Melanie Lee said the results “reflect dedication and resilience, and I am delighted to see so many of [our students] progressing to their chosen universities. Others are heading into apprenticeships or pursuing other routes.”

Eighty per cent of grades at the school were at A* to B (compared to national average of 53.9 per cent) with six students bound for Oxford or Cambridge. Over a third of technical qualifications were a starred distinction (35 per cent)

Timara Kaplan and Raphael Kelvin were the stand-out performers with four A*s, while Gaby Becker, Micky Boyne, Arin Conradi, Matthew Dady, Samuel Gordon, Ella Haber, and Nina Joffe all achieved 3 A*s.

More than half of A-levels at JFS were at the highest two grades, A* to A - 55 per cent, with the average grade an A; 83 per cent were at A* to B - well above the national UK averages of 27.8 per cent for A* to B and 53.9 per cent for A* to B.

Headteacher David Moody acclaimed “the Herculean feat” of 16 students who achieved three or more A*s.

Dr Moody said the results were “a superb performance from a group of students who have been an absolute pleasure to have in the school, and my thanks go to staff, students and parents alike for all of their hard work and support.

“With nearly 200 of our students leaving to university and apprenticeships, we look forward to the incredible difference they will make in the world.”

Top grades at Immanuel College jumped this year, with 25 per cent of grades A*, compared to 14 per cent in 2023. The leap of 11 percentage points for the highest grade is far above the national increase of 0.4 per cent. 

Yavneh students celebrate their 'fantastic' results this year

Immanuel pupils passed 59 of their A-levels at A* to A, or their equivalent for vocational subjects – more than double the national average. Nearly half of those taking maths – 47 per cent – gained an A*.

More than one in 10 of Immanuel’s students opened their results this morning to three or more A*s, including top-performing student Jacob Kenley, who is heading to Imperial next year with 4 A*s in his pocket.

Immanuel College Head Master, Dr Millan Sachania, said:

“Our students have shown outstanding achievement, which is a testament to their dedication, perseverance and ambition. Their excellence and potential is strongly evident and it fills me and my colleagues with justified pride today.”

Yavneh College headteacher Spencer Lewis celebrated the “fantastic achievement” of his students who passed 44 per cent of their A-levels at A* to A and 78 per cent at A* to B.

Ninety per cent of vocational students achieved three distinctions and 21 per cent of A-level students gained all A*s or As.

Adam Bannon, Charlie Cohen, Adam Herman, and Charlie Levy lead the honour roll at Yavneh, with 4 A* grades each.

Miriam Langdon, headteacher at Hasmonean High School for Boys, shared her pride at students’ results. “Our students’ dedication and hard work have truly paid off, with many achieveing top grades,” she said.

Yavneh students look at their A-level results, August 2024

Seventeen per cent of A-level grades at Hasmonean Boys were at A*, with 41 per cent A*-A. Hasmonean Girls outperformed boys, with 17 per cent of grades at A* and 52 per cent A*- A.

Katherine Brice, headteacher at Hasmonean High School for Girls, said she was “delighted” by students’ progress. “Many have outperformed their target grades and are to be commended for their hard work and dedication,” she said. Most girls will go on to seminary study before taking up places at top universities, including LSE, Imperial, Bristol and UCL.

Most Hasmonean boys will go on to study at yeshivah, including star pupil Josh Fluss, who achieved 4 A*s. “I am forever indebted to the incredible teachers at Hasmonean who have both supported me academically while instilling important lifelong values,” he shared. 

King David High School in Liverpool celebrated their students’ “resilience and pragmatism” as the majority achieved the grades needed to gain places at their first-choice university. 

Fifty four per cent of A-level grades at King David were A*-B, and 30 per cent were A*-A. The school celebrated head boy Jacob Lingwood’s success, who will be training as a Paramedic following his sixth-form success.

Immanuel College 2024 A-Level results day with Head Master Dr Sachania (Credit: Immanuel College)

King David High School in Manchester said they were “delighted” for their A-Level students this year, with 80 per cent obtaining places at their first-choice university.

Twenty eight per cent of A-level grades were at A*-A, and 57.3 per cent were A*-B.

Although an improvement from last year, the school said “the governors’ priority is to improve the results even further to ensure the school returns to the standards it had a few years ago”.

The Jewish schools’ network PaJeS said the results were “particularly impressive” in what had been “an exceptionally challenging year for the whole community” that had “undoubtedly impacted on the wellbeing of our students”.

They reflected “the exceptional efforts of the schools and the resilience and perseverance of the students”, PaJeS said.