Dear Student

Today is always a very significant day for any sixth-former, receiving results after two years of academic and vocational study and finding out if you will be able to progress to your chosen destination. The joys, anxiety, exhilaration and sometimes disappointment are typical emotions felt on any results day. But this year there have been heightened anxieties because you didn't get to take your exams this summer or finish your courses and learning inside school.

You have had to work through and finish your studies during a pandemic no one ever imagined or predicted at the start of 2020. To do this with so much uncertainty shows how resilient and determined you have been, and I want to pay credit to you for staying the course and congratulate you for finishing your school education with us today. I also want to let you know how proud your teachers, school leaders and staff in the Trust are with your achievements and hard work over the last two years in the most trying of circumstances. You have all really embraced the sentiment of our motto and acted remarkably. I am also proud and want to say a huge thanks to your teachers and leaders who have supported you so well throughout your studies. We are so lucky to have them.

Many of you will today receive the results that you and your teachers were expecting, and will be able to move on to your next destination from September; whether that is University, further training, an Apprenticeship or employment. Congratulations and well done if this is the case and good luck in your future endeavours. For some, you may have found that one or more of your grades were not quite what you were expecting, but that this will not prevent you from progressing to where you had hoped. Please speak to your teachers, careers advisors and your next provider(s) who will be able to help you with this. It is quite possible that you will be able to progress to your desired destination and smoothly.

I also want you to know that we will provide you with all the necessary support to help you progress with the qualifications that you have achieved today. This could include writing letters of support to providers/Universities, challenging administrative errors, or appealing on your behalf to the exam boards with evidence, including your mock exam performance and information about how these were carried out in a valid and reliable way. We will also support you with taking an examination in October at your school in the minority of cases where you and your teacher feel this is the right option for you.

Some of you who are disappointed with your results today may want to know the grades that were submitted to the exam boards from your school and teachers. These were called Centre-Assessment Grades (CAGs), and your school will be able to provide you with these on request over the days ahead if this will help you with your next steps. We will also include this information in any letters of support to education providers that you may have applied to. Don't forget that Clearing opens from 3pm today, and many students find excellent courses and universities/HE providers through this route each year, and go on to have a superb and fulfilling experience.

Thank you again for your resilience, determination and huge efforts during your post-16 courses, and please rest assured of our ongoing support in the days and weeks ahead. Good luck with your next steps.

Yours sincerely,

David Hatchett

National Director of Secondary Schools, AET