Bottom row, L-R: Joe Gilmour, Mikaeel Shah and James Skinner.
Top row, L-R: Will Hemmings, Dalbir Gill and Anya Brucal.
15 August 2024, Isleworth –
Isleworth & Syon School are very proud of its Year 13 cohort this morning as they collected their results. These top grades serve as a stepping stone towards their dream next steps as they complete their journey with the school. Supported by specialist staff and a Sixth Form staff team devoted to encouraging aspiration, these well-rounded young people have continued the school’s strong tradition of outstanding achievement. This can be found not only in their academic success but also in their commitment to the school’s programme of outstanding opportunities, which has developed the ‘soft skills’ that they need for success in the wider world.
Our top performer for A level was Mikaeel Shah, who is heading to read mathematics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge. He achieved a clean sweep of A* grades – four in total including both maths and further maths. This was no surprise after Mikaeel represented the United Kingdom at the International Maths Olympiad this July. He will be joined in Cambridge by Elliot Heath, who achieved 2 A*s and an A to earn a place at Fitzwilliam College. Elliot will read psychological and behavioural science at the prestigious institution. We hope he continues to complement his studies with his love and increasing success as a middle- and long-distance athlete, something which has been encouraged and nurtured by our PE team.
Deputy Head Student James Skinner will use his two of his three A*s – in maths and physics – to continue both subjects at the University of Bath. James has been an exemplary member of the school community and a true role model for younger students. This is also true of his fellow deputy, Joe Gilmour, a confident public speaker who heads to the University of Manchester with an A* and two As – he will study philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) to pursue his dream of serving his country as an MP. Will Hemmings has a similar vision for his future and will hope his history and politics degree at York can help him to achieve it; his range of top grades today will serve him well. Dalbir Gill is also heading to Manchester for an undergraduate engineering degree this September; his two A*s in maths and physics are ideal preparation for a potential aerospace engineering career.
The Malhi twins, Aaron and Taran, scored identical grades and will continue their journey together by studying computer science in Manchester – we are proud of their journey as they have displayed great progress in Sixth Form and worked hard with our outstanding teachers. Priyanshu Verma heads to Loughborough University with two A*s and an A, to study an accounting and finance degree with professional placement attached. Results across the creative subjects were particularly excellent, with outstanding fine art A level results. Amongst a string of A*s is Nico Spahia, who will combine that with an A and a B to pursue his dream of becoming an architect at Cardiff. Once again, we also ran a successful music vocational course; one of its graduates, Ellis Madle, has already begun an audio-visual apprenticeship at the Institution of Engineering & Technology.
As a mixed Sixth Form, we welcome applications from all. It has been a pleasure to see our Sixth Form girls really “buy-in” to our school ethos this year and dive headfirst into the many leadership opportunities on offer. Anya Brucal was our first ever female Co-Head Student and was a key member of the school’s ambassador programme. She has earned two As, a B and a C and heads to the prestigious Imperial College London to read material science and engineering. Ruby Balfe studied a blended A level and vocational pathway whilst in the Sixth Form – an ever-more popular choice for students. She received a fantastic double Distinction* in her CTEC sport double award, which is richly deserved after her outstanding commitment to our embedded Sports Leadership programme in school. She also earned a B in film, a career pathway she hopes to pursue following a gap year. We continue to fight for students to be able to experience vocational learning within our popular Sixth Form.
Co-Headteachers Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom commented, “Congratulations to all students for their results today – their commitment, resilience and work ethic has been second-to-none. We thank them for their dedication, as well as their families for supporting the school and their children. Whatever their next steps, we wish them well – they continue to inspire us every single day. We are proud to have supported this latest cohort of Isleworthians through their journeys from young boys into men, and we look forward to keeping in touch and hearing about their amazing achievements.”
