‘I’m going for a few pints now’: nerves and joy as students collect their A-level results

For sixth formers in Halifax, discovering their grades means a chance to celebrate and plan for the future

There are few days that teenagers dread more than A-level results day, where students learn how the last two years of their lives will shape their futures, communicated through a few letters in an envelope.

The tension of walking into college to learn your fate is enough to keep most people awake the night before. For Hayden Bettson-Day, 18, the best solution was get it over with as early as possible.

“I was refreshing the Ucas page at 8 o’clock in the morning, waiting for it to go on,” Hayden said. “So, it was a definite bit of tension. My mum kept asking: ‘What is it? What did you get?”

What Hayden got was an A* in maths coupled with two As in chemistry and biology, which is enough to be accepted into Newcastle University to study medicine.

The 18-year-old is one of 450 students at Trinity sixth form academy, located in the town’s centre and part of the Trinity multi-academy trust, which has colleges throughout Yorkshire.

Aidan Chiu and Fran Whitehead, two of Hayden’s classmates, spoke about their own relief at their results, having both received A*s in chemistry.

“My mum’s on the phone to Bristol University,” said Aidan, who plans to study maths. “I have the grades I need, but she’s still calling them to make sure I got in. I can’t believe it.”

Fran, who will now study geology at the University of Exeter, said that the last two years had been difficult, but praised the college for helping her settle and supporting her as she readjusted to a new environment during such a pivotal time in her life.

“I came to this school knowing nobody, but all the teachers and students were really nice and I found my place,” said Fran. “You’ve got lots of support to achieve your potential.”

Not every student was as optimistic about their results, with some planning to go through clearing or committing themselves to return to sixth form to achieve the grades they desired.

In Natalia Ntabola’s case, the plan was more straightforward: “If I didn’t get into university, I was just going to move out of the country and live somewhere off the grid, to be honest.”

Luckily for Natalia, she and lifelong best friend Sandra Konarska, both 18, got the grades that the pair needed in order to attend the University of Manchester together.

Sandra, who felt that she “may not have revised as much as she should have” despite being awarded a perfect three A*s, lauded the college for the amount of effort and encouragement that they have given her.

“I think the teachers are very rigorous, there’s a lot of homework to do, a lot of meetings and talks if it’s not done,” said Sandra. “They’re very adamant on it being complete, but it works.”

Michael Fitzsimons, the principal of Trinity sixth form academy, attributes the college’s success to the ethics of hard work and commitment, but also stresses the sixth form’s commitment to bringing in students from all backgrounds and abilities.

“We don’t ever want people to feel sorry for our kids,” said Fitzsimons. “Where we are, there is around double the level of disadvantage to the rest of the country, but that doesn’t change the expectations. We still hold them to high expectations, but that’s delivered with a lot of love.”

To get their students ready for the realities of life beyond Halifax, the college funds a “scholars programme” scheme to give high achieving students free access to tutors from some of the country’s top universities, not to coach them through exams, but to help raise their confidence and interviewing skills, increasing their belief that they will not be out of place around any future peers who may have come from a more affluent background.

The college has also helped subsidise trips abroad, including trips to New York City and Brussels. Joe Kirwan, who went on both trips and achieved three As, plans to attend the University of Nottingham. He says that teachers at the college went above and beyond to help him, even “recommending podcasts and giving me books, trying to make me believe I can do what they think I can do”.

Now, with the tension of the morning relieved, the students are celebrating in a variety of ways, ranging from meals with their families, playing board games with their friends and having a nap. The majority, as expected, have set off for the pubs in Halifax town centre, including Hayden.

“I’m going for a few pints now,” he said. “I’m going to Newcastle for the next few years and I’ve heard about the nightlife, so I need to start practising.”