Petroc celebrates another year of outstanding results

Congratulations class of 2023! Petroc is celebrating a 98% pass rate for A Level courses. The number of students achieving A* has increased by 1.2% overall and the number of students achieving A*-C is once again above the national benchmark achieved by other Colleges across the country. And whilst the national pass rate for A Levels rate has fallen to 97.2%, the lowest national pass rate since 2008, the pass rate at Petroc has bucked the national trend and held firm at 98%.

100% of Petroc’s French students achieved A*-C, 86% of Environmental Studies students gained A*-C and 84% of Sociology and Psychology students also achieved A*-C. Students performed particularly well in Maths this year, up significantly on last year, and in Further Maths 67% of students achieved A*-A. 

Each year, Petroc students go on to secure places at the most highly sought after and competitive institutions in the country including Oxford, Cambridge and Russell Group universities. We are pleased to announce that a number of our applicants have achieved their place. This can be put down, in part, to the College’s enhancing excellence programme delivered through Oxbridge, VetMed and Russell Group Academies. Petroc students receive excellent advice, guidance, support and preparation when applying to universities or for an apprenticeship or employment. 

Rachael Booth, Director of Academic Studies, attributed the remarkable results to the combined efforts of both students and staff. She emphasised, “Our latest set of A Level results are a testament to the hard work, determination and support of our students, staff, parents and carers. We are driven by the belief that every student has the capacity to excel and here at Petroc we have a dedicated team of both subject specialist teachers and support staff to help students make that jump from GCSE to A Level or Level 3 vocational qualifications. Our passionate and expert staff ensure that our students have a firm understanding of the expectations and demands of higher-level academic study and leave us with bright futures ahead of them. I, along with all the A Level staff at Petroc, wish every student the very best for the future.”

Dr Sean Mackney, Principal and CEO at Petroc, expressed his heartfelt congratulations to the successful students. He stated, “I congratulate all our students who have received their A Level, T Level and BTEC results today. This, of course, is our first cohort of T Level students, and they have exceeded expectations with 100% pass rate at Petroc! I feel a great sense of pride seeing what they have accomplished over the last two years, which is also felt by our students’ lecturers and support staff who have helped them to achieve these grades. Our learners have shown determination and resilience, and have come out with outstanding results setting them up for future success.”

Petroc’s Deputy Principal, Dr Jason Jones, added, “I am absolutely delighted with the results our students have achieved. In addition to 100% pass rates across the majority of Petroc’s A Level, T Level, vocational and higher education qualifications again this year, a large number of our students have been successful in taking up their places on some of the most competitive university courses in areas as diverse as Veterinary Sciences, English, Accounting & Finance, Graphic Design, Ocean Science, 3D Game Art and Spacecraft Engineering. Many more of our students have earned the qualifications they need to take the exciting next steps into their chosen careers. We are so proud of all of them and it is a pleasure and a privilege to share some of their stories.” 

Noah Nutkins achieved an outstanding triple A* in Maths, Physics and Chemistry, as well as an A in Further Maths and an A* in Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).  Noah said, “I have had the best experience at Petroc, I got involved with lots of extra curricular things like the ‘Build a Plane’ and STEM academies. My lecturers have been fantastic and with my grades I am able to go straight onto an integrated Masters degree in Astronautic and Aeronautics Engineering at the University of Southampton, with a view to getting into the space industry.”

Holly Ironside, one of our high-achieving T Level in Health students – all of whom achieved Distinction and Merit grades – says, “Choosing the T Level in Health has been the best decision I could ever make! I have got a place at the University of South Wales doing a foundation course in Community Health and Wellbeing, which is a stepping stone course to Midwifery, to eventually become a midwife.”

Samuel Lewis, gained four A Levels: Maths A*, Further Maths A*, Psychology A and History C and is going on to study a Maths degree at the University of Cambridge. Sam said: “I enjoyed Petroc – the location is great, the courses were exactly what I wanted, and the teachers were really helpful and helped me to get the grades I needed to do Maths at uni.”

Ellen Brewster achieved a great set of grades: A in Psychology, A* in English Literature, A* in History and A* in her Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and has a place at University of Exeter to study History and Archaeology – as well as an offer reconsideration at the University of Cambridge! She said, ”I can’t fault the quality of teaching at Petroc. They were all really personable and supportive – especially with my university application process.”.

Milo Andrews studied four A Levels and achieved some exceptional results including A* in Biology, A in Chemistry and English Literature, and B in English Language and is heading to study Zoology at Swansea. Milo really enjoyed the Academies offered at Petroc and said, “The VETMED and Sustainability Academies were a great addition to my studies and linked directly to  the sciences I was doing.”

Student Eleanor Roome achieved an impressive triple A* in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, and has been accepted on a degree in Mathematics at University of the West of England. She said, “I started off thinking I wanted to go into medicine, but I’ve loved the Maths course so I’ve decided to see where the Maths degree will take me.”

Petroc would also like to applaud the fantastic achievements of the wider college today, including our Level 3 vocational learners who achieved a whopping 99% pass rate with particularly high results in Creative Music Industries (Technical) with 67% getting a Distinction grade (D), and 75% Manufacturing Engineering students achieving a Distinction grade. In addition to this, 94% of our Tiverton campus Diploma in Business students received a D*-D. 

Our Access to Higher Education students have done themselves proud, including a 29-strong Nursing, Midwifery and Science cohort, all passing their programme and going on to further university study. We work with the University of Plymouth who validates our degrees. 70% of our honours degree students, i.e. BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) were awarded first/2.1 classifications alongside our foundation degrees in a range of subjects from animal conservation to computing, where over half of students received a distinction or merit grading. 100% of students on our HNCs in construction and electronics passed their qualification and go on to employment or further study. 

Our University Centre students will be celebrating their achievements properly in November at their graduation ceremony, and they have a lot to celebrate!

Petroc remains committed to nurturing talent, fostering resilience, and equipping its learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to embrace a prosperous future. As the College continues to navigate the ever-evolving educational landscape, it remains dedicated to supporting its students on their journey to success.