Ilkley Grammar School’s ‘Class of 2024’ breaks new records with 13 Oxbridge offers and many more students receiving offers to study on exciting courses at universities and securing apprenticeships across the country.
Now that the UCAS application deadline has closed, Ilkley Grammar School is starting to see a more detailed picture of 2024 destinations as university and apprenticeship offers start to come through. Most students have yet to make their final choices but offers have been coming in from universities across the country to study on courses from accountancy to wildlife conservation and as diverse as Celtic & Anglo Saxon Studies and Language & Linguistics, Creative Writing and Film Studies, Criminology with Police Studies, Dietetics, Fashion, Film, Football Business & Finance, Forensic and Analytical Science, Furniture and Product Design, Games Design, International Relations, Marine and Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Policing and Investigations, Real Estate, Robotics, Sound and Music Production, Veterinary Medicine, War Studies and History. The destinations range from Plymouth to Aberdeen and from Belfast to Brighton and beyond, with possible scholarships in the US for tennis (Louisianna Tech) and golf.
Although the application window for apprenticeships remains open until after results day in August, several IGS students are currently pursuing exciting degree-level apprenticeships. Emma Townsend has already received competing offers from Mazars and EY and will be working towards chartered accountancy through her Degree Apprenticeship.
In the Creative Arts several students have made applications to Conservatoires, and Charlotte Dear has received an offer from the Royal Northern College of Music for the BMus (Hons) specialising in Voice (Soprano). Holly Fox has received offers from Royal Northen, Royal Scottish, and Birmingham for saxophone and Adam Leather has received offers to study drums at the Guildhall and Birmingham.
This year a record-breaking 13 students have received offers to Oxford or Cambridge with the number of successful applications entering double figures for the second time. This means that over the past 4 years 41 students have received offers from Oxbridge.
Congratulations go to 13 students including Rosie Anderson (Natural Sciences, Cambridge), Josh Beevers (Modern and Medieval Languages, Cambridge), Lucy Bentley (Geography, Oxford), Simon Firth (History, Oxford), Maisie O’Connor (Natural Sciences, Cambridge), Theo Prowse (Biochemistry, Oxford), Beth Rogers (Natural Sciences, Cambridge), Ted Shaw (Geography, Oxford), Josie Simpson (History, Oxford), Leah Turner (Mathematics, Oxford), Holly Vasey (Economics and Management, Oxford), Alex Wood (Physics, Oxford)
Mr Sykes, Associate Assistant Headteacher says, “It is always a privilege to work closely with students supporting them with their applications. This is where all the hard work comes together, bringing them within touching distance of their chosen destinations. It is also wonderful to work alongside such experienced and dedicated staff at IGS as well as with members of the wider Ilkley community who provide opportunities beyond those which the school alone can offer.”
Mr Gutch, Deputy headteacher added “Alongside the successes there are of course some very talented students who were disappointed this time but who have very bright futures ahead of them. We are very proud of all our students who are challenging themselves and working towards achieving their personal best this year – wherever that may take them.”
Headteacher, Carly Purnell, stated: “I would also like to take the opportunity to offer our huge congratulations to all our year 13 students who are starting to receive offers for a range of exciting opportunities at a wide range of institutions and apprenticeship providers. Students are currently holding offers for Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, King’s College London, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Queen’s Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton, St. Andrews, UCL, Warwick and York to name just a few. We are excited to see the offers keep rolling in and wish all of our students the very best of luck over the coming months.”
Director of Post 16, Alex Fox, stated: “We are delighted with the student’s ambitious choices this year. We work very hard to ensure that every student fulfils their Personal Best, and it is edifying to see so many students rewarded for their bold applications, diligent perseverance and academic curiosity with offers from the most competitive courses in the country.”