For the first time in its history Thomas Clarkson Academy in Wisbech students gain places at top universities in the Russell Group

Thomas Clarkson Academy in Wisbech is celebrating as its students have achieved places at the prestigious Russell Group universities for the first time in the school’s history.

The Russell Group includes universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, Birmingham, Durham, Edinburgh and Warwick and are renowned for their focus on research and a reputation for academic achievement. Traditionally they are harder to get into.

As well as many individual successes, the school has had a good range of scores in both academic and vocational subjects with particularly strong results in the sciences and maths.

Results have improved with the number of students achieving an AAB profile increasing from none last year to 14 per cent this year. The average grade has increased, along with the average point score per entry so that overall 81 per cent of students are progressing to university.

Individual successes include Joseph Moore who is studying chemical engineering at Leeds University, Nathan Thomas and Abbie Murray, who are studying chemistry and criminology respectively at Southampton University and Rosa Djola who has secured a place at Manchester University to study French and Spanish. Other students have gained places on a wide range of courses from zoology to architecture.

Anne Hill, principal, said: “We are absolutely delighted as, for the first time in the school’s history 20 per cent of our student cohort have secured places in prestigious Russell Group universities. The results have improved on last year, the average grade has gone up. Our vocational results are outstanding, the students have absolutely surpassed themselves but the headline for us is that our academic A Level results are significantly better with vastly improved university destinations and students accessing a wide range of university courses. The hard work and commitment of our students, and the whole school community, has definitely paid off, however we are now looking forward to building on this success and achieving even more next year.’