GCSE results open doors for students of all ages

Pathways into nursing, teaching, music and more have opened up for students celebrating their GCSE – plus Level 1 and 2 vocational – results.

Among those looking forward to taking their next steps after opening their result papers on Thursday 22 August was 38 year old Kenny Knott.

Kennny already had A levels, a 2:1 history degree and a 15 year career in the army (plus seven in the reserves) under his belt.

But to pursue his dream of becoming a history teacher, he had to go back to education to get the ‘missing piece’ in his qualifications, GCSE maths.

Over the moon at securing chance to teach

Kenny, who is married with an eight year old daughter, had to juggle family life and work with his studies but it has all paid off – as he discovered when he opened his results on-air during a live radio interview.

He said: “I’m over the moon! To get the grade five I was after is so emotional, it overcame me a little bit. Maths is hard, and it doesn’t get easier – algebra hasn’t changed since my school days.

“I just want to say thank you to Laurence Lennon and the team at Leeds City College, they’ve been amazing.

“I joined the army at a young age, was with the Yorkshire Regiment 15 years, then did my A levels in a year and my history degree. But I want to teach history and I still needed my GCSE maths before I could do my training, so I came here.

“The staff, and especially Laurence, have been absolutely fantastic and were always at hand to help with anything I needed,.”

Currently working as an Army Reserve recruiter, Kenny is now looking forward to starting his teacher training, in Leeds, this September.

Top grade for parent Vitor

Another parent-student, 38 year old Vitor Bonanca, was delighted to achieve a grade 9 in his maths GCSE.

He said: “I have two babies at home and the youngest, who is just four months, was born in the middle of my course so I couldn’t really study there much!

“But my wife supported me a lot with that and I come from a science background, so going to the maths class was kind of a pleasure to me.

“I’m really pleased with my grade – I was expecting a good one, but not necessarily a 9!”

Vitor now plans to do a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Praise for a special place

At the other end of the age scale, 14+ Academies students Lara Sweeney and Billy Wilkinson were both celebrating passing all of their GCSEs.

Sixteen year old Billy, who now has his sights on further college studies and then university, said: “I’m really glad I came here; I wouldn’t be who I am today without this college.

“I’ve made a lot of friends and the teachers treat you like an adult and show you respect.”

Lara, also 16, took study leave earlier this year to focus on her revision. She said: “It was the best feeling ever to see that I’d done well; I was up really late the night before stressing, and thought it would be a miracle to pass.

“I’m off to CAPA College in Wakefield now, to focus on my singing, drama and all my music.”

Stepping up to a career in nursing

GCSE results day is always a big moment for Leeds Sixth Form College’s Step-Up Pathway students, too. For Constance Mitchell, for example, her grades mean she can now take a step closer to her goal of becoming a nurse by enrolling for a T Level here at Leeds City College.

The 17 year old said: “I’d convinced myself I was going to fail but I did really well and got the grades I needed, so I’m looking forward to doing my T Level at Quarry Hill.”

She also has no hesitation in recommending the Step-Up access programme to anyone: “It’s been really great, I’ve made friends for life here and not just the students, the staff as well. It’s been a really good experience.

“Step-Up is like a second chance and a reminder that your first GCSE results aren’t the be-all and end-all, there are options – like this – to fall back on.”

Foundations for a better future

ESOL student Yulia Sakhno meanwhile, who moved to Leeds after fleeing the war in Ukraine, had mixed fortunes, passing her maths while failing her English.

But she was still grateful for her college experience, and full of gratitude for her teachers. She said: “Starting life in a new country was challenging, but I knew that improving my English and gaining recognized qualifications were key to finding work.

“That’s why I joined the Maths GCSE course here. Although I already have a strong background in maths from my education in Ukraine, the course was still very useful. It helped me understand the differences in approaches between the UK and Ukrainian systems, while also improving my English, especially in mathematical terminology.

“Having this GCSE certification is an important step  toward building a better future here.”