Friary Celebrate Sixth Form Success

This article first appeared on the 'old' school website on 13th August 2026. It has been posted here to help populate the new Friary School website

The Friary School was thrilled to see our Sixth Form students achieve outstanding exam results, reflecting their hard work and commitment during the last two years.

Students achieved excellent outcomes across the range of subjects. The overwhelming number secured places at their first-choice universities, studying prestigious courses including medicine and law. Many others progressed successfully to high-quality apprenticeship programmes, reflecting the diverse and ambitious pathways chosen by Friary students.

The school’s apprenticeship programme saw students secure positions across the engineering, legal, surveying, auditing and accounting sectors, as well with the civil service.

Performance across the Sixth Form remained strong, with impressive average grades and positive progress measures.

Students Celebrate Exam Success

Among the highest-achieving students were:

• Sebastien Menaut A*, A*, A*                                                     Matthew Allen A*, A*, A*, Distinction*
• Kimi Leigh A*, A*, A*, A                                                                  Akito Tokiwa-Smith A*, A*, A, A
• Amelia Hurst A*, A*, A*, A                                                            Amelia Long A*, A*, C
• Calum Finch A*, A*, A*, A                                                             Timothy Huskisson A*, A*, A, A
• Joshua Douglas-Boisson A*, A*, A*, Distinction*        Harry Battams A*, A*, A, A

Elsewhere, students who obtained superb results by making the most progress over the last two years included:

• Issac Cheung                                                                                     Amber Wheaver        
• Joshua Brown                                                                                    Oliver Lunn
• Logan Vale                                                                                           Jessica Greaves
• Oliver Arrowsmith                                                                            Ava Taylor
• Izaak Bailey                                                                                          Zara Allman

Staff Reflect

Helen Barratt, Assistant Headteacher, said: “As a school, our focus has always been on supporting each individual student to achieve their potential, and it is rewarding to see their ambition and hard work reflected in both their personal results and the strong outcomes achieved by the year group as a whole.”

Andrea Garner-Thorpe, Head of Sixth Form, said: “We’re delighted to see so many Sixth Form students successfully move onto high-quality university courses. Equally, we’re very pleased to see others secured highly competitive apprenticeship opportunities, including several very prestigious degree apprenticeships. We’re looking forward to students coming back and telling us how they’re getting on.”

Mark Drury, Headteacher, added: “I am immensely proud that the commitment shown by our students, their families and our staff has been rewarded with these excellent results. Given that education is about more than qualifications, this year group also made an outstanding contribution to school life, raising thousands of pounds for local charities, volunteering in the community, and embracing residential and field trips both in the UK and overseas. It is wonderful to see them conclude their time at Friary with such impressive academic success.”

Sixth Formers Secure Top Apprenticeships

We actively encourage students to explore apprenticeships alongside considering the traditional university route, ensuring students can make informed decisions about their future careers.

Through Partnership Evenings, careers events, parent information sessions, workshops, employability programmes, lessons and assemblies, students and families are given extensive opportunities to engage with employers and apprenticeship providers.

This commitment to careers education is reflected in the school's careers and aspirations programme, which has been recognised as exemplary by the Careers & Enterprise Company.

The apprenticeships our students were able to secure included:

• Matt A - Civil Service DSH Cybersecurity, Level 6 Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• Izaak B - KPMG, Audit Level 7 Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• Joshua D-B - Dyson, Institute of Engineering Level 7 Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• James L - E.ON UK, Accountancy and Taxation Level 7 Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• Joe M - PWC, Accounting Level 7 Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• Callum T - Lovells, HNC in Construction Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• Evan W - GXO, Logistics Level 6 Higher Degree Apprenticeship

• Luan P - Police Constable Apprenticeship

 Helen Barratt, Assistant Headteacher and Careers Leader, said: “These apprenticeship opportunities are highly competitive, and we are delighted to see our students rewarded for their hard work with places on such prestigious programmes. Apprenticeships offer an exciting and increasingly popular pathway, combining high-quality training with valuable workplace experience. With the support available to our students, they provide an excellent foundation for a successful and fulfilling professional career.”