Great results at Middlesbrough College, including high-flying T Levels students

HARDWORKING students at Middlesbrough College are preparing to take their next step after opening their results today.

Despite grades broadly returning back to pre-pandemic levels nationally, Middlesbrough College is delighted to see over 50% of its A Level students achieving high grades, with students in law, sociology and mathematics doing particularly well. Over 79% of the students have successfully gained a place at their university of choice, the highest ever and many students are heading to Sutton Trust universities, some of the highest ranked in the UK.

The first cohort of students to complete their T Level qualification achieved a brilliant 99% pass rate, with 72% achieving high grades. Students in all areas of T Levels, including Health, Education and Early Years, Building Services Engineering for Construction and Digital Production, are today celebrating their success.

Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said:

“T Levels provide a unique ladder of opportunity for young people to gain the knowledge and on-the-job experience needed to progress into work, an apprenticeship or higher education. All the courses have been co-designed with employers to ensure that students get the skills they need to succeed.”

In addition, more than half of those learners completing a two-year BTEC vocational qualification also achieved distinction profile and the College is delighted to be on track to repeat an excellent set of apprenticeship results, cementing a spot in the top ten large providers in the country.

Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College Group, said:

“We are massively proud of the resilience our students have shown studying throughout what has been a disruptive few years. Students have now returned to formal exams, which most had never experienced before. Over 1000 of our students have secured university places in spite of the challenges they have faced, which is a fantastic achievement.”

“Many of our students praise the brilliant support they get from our tutors and staff, ensuring that they can make the right choices in their learning journey and grow their skills and confidence.”

“It is inspiring to see our students achieve the results they need to take the next step in their education and careers, and we very much look forward to welcoming new students to the College in early September.”

One of those celebrating today is Aaron Burton, who has secured A* in both Maths and Further Maths and A in Physics, and is now heading to Durham University to study Maths and Statistics. “The support I’ve had from my tutors here at the College has been great, they’ve given me the guidance I needed to succeed in my A Levels and built my confidence when I was struggling.”

“I’m so pleased with the results I’ve opened today, and can’t wait to get to Durham University and eventually launch a career in statistics.”

This year’s T Levels success stories include Katie Hall, Shelby French and Ben Hopper. The trio of friends met while studying T Levels on Onsite Construction. Katie said: “The practical learning T Levels offer has been great in building my skills and confidence, and I’ve especially enjoyed my work placement, which has ignited my interest in bench joinery.”

18-year-old Analise Williams has also secured T Levels success, earning a Distinction in Health. She is now heading to Teesside University to begin a degree course in Paramedic Practice. “I’ve always been interested in health because my mum works in a hospital,” Analise said. “On placement was when it really clicked – I saw physiotherapists, occupational therapists, who all did interesting work, but then I saw a paramedic supporting a patient in a real situation and knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

“My favourite part of the T Levels course has definitely been the practical learning, especially the hands-on work in the second year, and of course the placement. I’m a practical person, which is why I chose T Levels, because I wanted to learn on the job.”

“I have visual stress so the College has made a real effort to help me with computer packages, extra time during exams, specially-coloured paper – everything I needed to study and succeed. The staff at the College have plenty of health sector experience, for example in nursing. That meant that our tutors could use their own skills and experience to help us develop and build our own confidence.”

This year, Ofqual and the Department for Education announced that grading has returned to pre-pandemic standards, and whilst there was protection built in, national results are lower this year than in 2022. Results from across the country this year can, most meaningfully, be compared with those from 2019.