Amidst the sixth formers’ tears at Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, a secondary school in Caernarfon, North Wales, joyful and relieved tears prevailed. Despite being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing two years of disrupted studies, all 56 pupils achieved the results they required to be accepted into their desired universities. Catrin Lloyd, who earned three A*’s, stated, "It’s been a bit hectic, to say the least. There have been a few staffing issues, a good few missed days because of Covid but it’s worked out fine in the end." Osian McGuinness and Begw Owen both celebrated their achievements and looked ahead to studying history and French and medicine at the University of Manchester and Cardiff, respectively.
Most students arrived early to celebrate with their peers at the school, where lessons are taught in both English and Welsh. Some students opened their envelopes together, while others anxiously retrieved them and hid away in corners. Clive Thomas, the headteacher of Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, praised the students’ resilience, despite the various challenges they faced. While a few students chose to stay locally in Wales, many opted to attend universities in England – perhaps due to the Labour-led government’s formation of the Seren Network intended to provide students with more opportunities.
Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, emphasized the uniqueness of this year’s cohort’s experience and their demonstration of resilience, robustness, and great team-player ability, all qualities the employers highly value. While some students celebrated at Cube nightclub in Bangor, Faye Reynolds plans to take a year off to travel before pursuing drama. Poppy Jones was relieved the day was over, and she was excited about the forthcoming A-level results UV white T-shirt party.
While concerns arose about the effect of COVID-19 on Welsh, Miles stated that the results in Welsh were good, even though the number of students who took the exam was lower than he desired. As such, there are ongoing attempts to reform Welsh language qualifications to make them more attractive.
