Freemen’s A Level students celebrate strong results despite two years of disruption

• 90% of grades achieved were A* - B grades 
• 75% of grades achieved were A* / A grades 
• 45% of all grades achieved were A* grades 
• 100% of grades achieved were A* - C grades 

Students at City of London Freemen’s School in Ashtead are celebrating impressive A Level results this year, despite the disruption of the last two years. 90% of all grades achieved were A*- B and the percentage of A* grades awarded (45%) reflects the resilience shown by Freemen’s students.

Despite a general trend across education settings seeing a reduction in top grades compared to the results from the last two years, Freemen’s 2022 A Level results have not seen a significant fall.

Such continued excellence is reassuring, given that this is the first time this cohort has undertaken external examinations, with their formal GCSE assessments having been cancelled in 2020 owing to the pandemic. These results mark a return to the traditional set of exam outcomes since the COVID-19 challenges resulted in the nationwide use of Centre Assessed Grade in 2020, and Teacher Assessed Grades last year. 

“I should like to extend huge congratulations to our students who have demonstrated remarkable resilience given the challenges they have had over the last two years. They should be admired for the way in which they have approached their studies given the inevitable compromises to their school life they have experienced,” said Roland Martin, Headmaster at City of London Freemen’s School. 

“In addition, these results are testament to the emphasis the School has placed on pastoral care and the importance of mental health and wellbeing of our students. They also reflect the rigour Freemen’s previously put in place to provide accurate results during the pandemic. In the absence of centralised examinations in 2020 and 2021, we ensured our students produce outcomes which are a true representation of their talents. This is now playing out in the largely consistent set of results produced this year, on the return of the first set of formal examinations since 2019,” added Mr Martin. 

“We should like to congratulate our students not only on their impressive A Level results, but also for the difference their contributions have made at Freemen’s. We believe in an holistic education and we have been fortunate with the leavers of 2022 that many of them have been so keen to develop through the opportunities here outside of the classroom – so important as they prepare for life beyond school – as well as maximising their intellectual potential inside the classroom. I hope that we have prepared our leavers for bright and successful futures and we wish them every success as they move on to the next phase in their lives, with places achieved at top UK universities.”

Freemen’s is incredibly proud of the students who have secured places on a huge range of courses at competitive universities. The vast majority of students have been placed on their first choice of course, with students gaining places to read Medicine, Economics, Law and Architecture, amongst many other popular subjects, at highly selective universities. Freemen’s students have again enjoyed Oxbridge success this year, with two students confirming their places at Oxford for PPE and Material Sciences, whilst one student will be taking up a place at Cambridge to study Linguistics. 

Philip Woodhouse, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the City of London Freemen's School, commented, “Students should be very proud of their considerable achievements, particularly in light of the fact that this is the first time that they have encountered the traditional examination process for awarding grades. I very much hope they have enjoyed being the inaugural year group which has experienced life in the visionary Sixth Form facility, which - having been opened in September 2021 - has been developed to ensure that students in the Sixth Form have the best education possible.

The City of London Corporation is committed to providing access to world-class education and learning opportunities and I am grateful to the Headmaster and all our dedicated staff for the commitment that they show in supporting students at Freemen’s.

I hope the leavers will be able to make the most of the experience that they have had during their time at Freemen’s and that they will stay in touch with our special School. They have set a fantastic standard for what can be achieved in the future. We wish them luck with whatever they choose to do."

A multi-million pound investment programme was undertaken at the School with the refurbishment transforming Main House at the heart of Ashtead Park into a new Sixth Form Centre featuring dedicated learning and social spaces.