UTC Portsmouth celebrates first student off to Oxford University as a third of grades reach highest levels

Vice principal Ryan Gibson said making allowances for Covid-19 disruption to welcome under-performing GCSE students had paid off in the majority of instances.

He said: ‘We have had students we wouldn’t accept it on to courses in a normal year. I have spoke to one student this morning and normally his GCSEs wouldn’t have got him a place here, but we gave him a shot. He’s now going on to study astrophysics at the University of Nottingham.’

UTC Portsmouth has reported 30 per cent of its grades reaching A* or A level, with 19 per cent of students gaining AAB or higher grades.

Among the high achievers was Freya McCauley-Wright, 18, who gained top grades in biology, chemistry, English literature and language, meaning she is off to Oxford to take on English.

She said: 'I'm going to see where university takes me, but I'd like to do some form of sports journalism.’

Meanwhile student Ethan Hards, 18, is looking for a remark in his biology A-level – as he is just one mark short of an A.

He said: ‘I was mildly disappointed, but over all I’m happy with my results.’

Joe Callaghan, 18, who achieved As in computer sciences, physics, maths, said he hopes that the Covid-19 pandemic teaches the government to be more flexible with grading.

He said: 'In the future I hope there's more appreciation that not everyone is great in exam conditions.

'Doing things differently - it works.'