Students at The Quest Academy have performed exceptionally well, despite the disruption to their education that they’ve faced in recent months.

In addition to overall successes, several students obtained impressive sets of results: Head Girl Idorenyin Hope is progressing her studies at the University of York where she’s been accepted on a Biotechnology course. Idorenyin said, “Even though my time as Head Girl at Quest was cut short, I immensely appreciate the continuous support of all my educators and fellow peers. Even though I’m happy I got the university place I wanted, I’m a little disappointed in my grades and intend to appeal. The school is helping me with this.”

Onyeka Ogwe joined Quest in Year 7 with no expectation of studying at university. She achieved AAB in Sociology, Politics and RS and is going on to study Philosophy, Logic and the Scientific Method at The London School of Economics (LSE). She said, “When I joined the Quest in Year 7, I didn’t even think I’d go to university. From 7 years of being here, I’ve grown a lot as an individual and I’ve gone through a lot of things on the way. It’s a relief to see these results and to see that my hard work has paid off.  My parents worked really hard to get here in the 90s and so education was always a priority. It means a lot that I’ve got into one of the top universities in the country. I’m overwhelmed!”

Jasmine Florence achieved ABB in Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry and is now going to study Biological Sciences at the University of Warwick. She said, “I’m extremely grateful for this journey that I’ve been on at the Quest Academy. I would have not been able to get the results that I did without the help of my teachers who went above and beyond to help my fellow students and me. One practical lesson that particularly inspired me to pursue a career in biology was observing mitosis and cell division under the lab microscopes. I’m very excited to start my new journey at Warwick and am hoping to pursue a career in microbiology.”

Mamadou Coulibaly achieved ABB in Economics, Mathematics and Politics and is going on to study Economics and Mathematics at Queen Mary University. He says, “I’m really thankful for the 7 years I’ve spent at The Quest Academy where I’ve had nothing but the support of teachers from the beginning, particularly in the moments that I needed it most. They went out of their way to provide the support I needed for exams (when we had them!), revision, intervention classes and I’ve especially found my A Level teachers this year very helpful. I feel so privileged that I’ve been able to get a place at a prestigious university and it’s thanks to every teacher, student and my family that’s been behind me.”

Zain Hashmi studied Mathematics (A), Physics (B) and Biology (C) and will now study Maths, Accounting and Finance at Queen Mary University. He said, “I’m really grateful for the support my teachers have given me throughout the last two years, even during a global pandemic. I’m considering appealing my Biology result, because I’d expected to do better than that. The school is helping me work through my options. I’m really grateful to my teachers that they helped me keep my grade up and helped me keep on target where it mattered most this year, particularly maths.”

After an impressive school career centred around productions in the drama department, Kwaku Boateng achieved Distinction Star, Distinction (BTEC Applied Science), and an A in A Level Drama. He is now going on to study Film and Theatre at University of Reading. “The real highlights of my time at Quest have been the drama, with the guidance and assistance of both Mr Russell and Mr Kensit; two teachers who I genuinely take inspiration from on a day to day basis. The Les Miserables production was a real-eye opener for me, particularly working backstage and being able to help the younger performers. We were the first A Level Drama cohort at the Quest and with results like this, I’m really hoping to inspire students who come after me.”

Iqra Sain Nisa joined The Quest Academy in Year 12. She achieved a Distinction Merit in Applied Science BTEC and an A in A Level Spanish and is going on to study Biomedical Sciences at Roehampton University. She said, “I’ve had a really good journey here over the 2 years. The teachers were so good! They are hard-working and all are experts in their subjects. They helped me every step of the way and were always there to support me. They really worked hard throughout lockdown too… emailing me and setting me tasks. I feel so lucky to have teachers like this. I’d particularly like to thank Miss Thomas, my science teachers and Mr Barragan as well (Head of Year 13). They helped me with everything in my A Level studies and gave me support applying to uni. Without their support, I just couldn’t have done it!”

Andy Crofts, Principal at The Quest Academy said, “In this unprecedented year for grading we are grateful that students’ and teachers’ hard work has been recognised by these results. I am particularly pleased to see that most students have gained places on their chosen University courses or apprenticeships. They were a great year group to work with and I wish them all the very best in the coming years as they put their obvious talents to good use.”