Siblings celebrate A* success at York school

The pupils were among those celebrating at St Peter’s School in York today.

Head boy Toby Simpson, who last week achieved 4 A* grades and secured a place at Imperial College London to study material science and engineering, was helping his sister Philippa celebrate straight A* passes in her ten subjects at GCSE.

George Pindar’s 11 A* passes this morning echo the success of his sister Zoe last week, who passed three A-Levels at A*, and who goes on to Edinburgh University to read medicine.

And deputy head girl Emily Gray, who secured a place at Christ’s College Cambridge to read classics after achieving two A*s and an A, was celebrating her brother Peter’s 11A* passes.

Peter told The Yorkshire Post his sister had helped him to succeed.

He picked up his A* grades in dual science, maths, English language, English Literature, religious studies , Spanish, classical Greek, Latin, music and drama. He is now staying on at the school and has his sights set on university. He said: “I think I had exaggerated the mistakes I thought I had made during the exams in my mind so I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did. It is fantastic to do as well as my sister. I had been told that I don’t work as hard as she does so it is nice to get these results. She has been very helpful. We both do Latin and Greek so we have been able to study together.”

Straight A* passes were also secured by Isobel Hedley, William Kimpson and Hannah Lawrence, while Matthew Coe, Edward Contreras, Harry Dickson, Ellie Dobson, Alice Greswold, Antonia Headlam-Morley, Joshua Ramalingam, Stanley Schofield, Concetta Scrimshaw, Rosalind Tait, Wendy Wan, Olivia Watts, Douglas Whiter and Eleanor Ziegler all achieved straight A* and A passes.

Leo Winkley, head master of St Peter’s said: “Over one hundred St Peter’s pupils have been awaiting their GCSE results over the summer weeks: a nervous time for them, and for their parents and teachers. Once again, they have done themselves and their school proud. Universities and employers look to GCSE results for evidence of sustained effort and attainment. This cohort has built a strong platform for their A-level studies, with 35 per cent of all exams passed at A* and 98 per cent graded A* to C.”