The day that Kings Monkton School made A-level history
WHEN Kings Monkton School announced its A-level results last week, irrespective of the outcome it was already set to be a historic day for Wales’ oldest independent school.
Almost 145 years into its long and rich history and as a mark of its ongoing evolution, in 2014 Kings Monkton’s sixth-form academy opened its doors for the first time to offer students a wide range of qualifications including A-levels, BTECs and the Welsh Baccalaureate.
Last week was historic as it marked the release of the sixth form’s first-ever results, capping off a huge year in which Kings Monkton became a fullyaccredited member of the Independent Schools Association. This followed a positive inspection in March in which Estyn stated that the percentage of entries awarded an A*/A grade is well above the average for all schools in Wales in all subjects and that the school is an inclusive and caring community that engenders a strong family feel and promotes fairness and tolerance well.
With the school anticipating another positive year end, with GCSE results being released today, Kings Monkton is delighted to be able to add sixth-form success to its growing list of outcomes as teachers and pupils celebrated 100% A*-C pass rates across a range of A-level subjects including English, art, geography, psychology and biology, with 100% B-grades or higher for both maths and physics. 100% of pupils taking history at AS-level passed with an A-grade, and 100% attained the Welsh Baccalaureate.
Not bad for a school that three short years ago saw pupil numbers fall to below 100. Fast-forward to today, and with the school’s principal Paul Norton at the helm, the fastestgrowing independent school in Wales now has more than 250 pupils on its roll. A recent expansion by 10 new places was announced in June for Year 10 and with the new academic year about to start, places are filling up quickly!
Kings Monkton School prides itself on being able to unlock the potential of individuals and to help them realise their strengths both academically and socially, developing well-rounded young people, using a progressive approach to teaching and learning that sees many sixth-form lessons taught in university-style seminars. Flexibility within the curriculum means that individuals can engage with subjects that interest them and with which they have a genuine affinity. When education is as meaningful as this, pupils perform well, and the positive outcomes that the school has seen are a natural product of that.
Kings Monkton School wishes everyone who is picking up their GCSE results today the very best of luck! ■ Kings Monkton School is an independent school working with children of all abilities from the ages of three to 18 years old. For more information visit www.kingsmonkton.org.uk or call 029 2048 2854. Or better still, go along to the open day on Wednesday, October 6.