Tech City College pupils this morning presented gifts to their teachers after opening their A-level and BTEC results.
Rahul Jhuree, 18, of Ilford, moved his maths teacher, Ewa Jinman, to tears when he gave a chocolate cake he had baked at home. He got A* in further maths and physics, and A in maths and chemistry.
He said: “She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had. Some teachers do just enough but she goes the extra mile for you. So she deserved something!”
He is off to the University of Bath, to study mechanical and electrical engineering.
“The results were way above what I was expecting,” he said. “There’s always that feeling of doubt in the back of your head. You can never be too sure. It’s not hit me yet.”
Francesco Scopa, 18, of Newham, achieved A* in maths and further maths, and B in physics.
“Oh my gosh,” he said, just after opening the results letter. “I was so nervous, but so happy.”
Like Rahul, Francesco will also head to the University of Bath in October, to study maths. He added: “I really needed the A* to qualify. I’m so happy.
“I was quite relaxed in the first year, but this year I worked so hard, doing my papers 24/7.
“I ditched going out to work hard, so I’m glad it paid off. I’ll be celebrating with something to eat, and maybe drink.”
Junad Ahmed, 18, of Newham, got a Distinction* in BTEC IT and B in A-level computing.
He got the necessary grades to study computer science at nearby City University, in Finsbury, and said: “I’m feeling relieved. This morning, I couldn’t even eat toast and jam for my breakfast.
“It’s not sunk in yet. Towards the end of the year, it was a big effort but it has paid off now. But I enjoyed it because I was doing stuff I like.”
Tech City College, in City Road, has been in the Gazette headlines for all the wrong reasons in the past year.
In December, there was a teacher strike, with the NUT claiming “excessive pressure” on staff. And in April, it was given the lowest possible Ofsted score of “inadequate” – having received the same ranking a year before when it was named STEM Academy.
But Aspirations Academy Trust, which took over the college in September, said it was in the middle of an action plan. And an Ofsted monitoring report in June recognised that Tech City had improved.
With 45 per cent of students achieving grades A* to C in A-levels, headteacher Nasrin Farahani said this morning: “We have done really well. The results are brilliant. You can tell by the excitement in the hall right now.
“It has been a turbulent year but Ofsted recognise how we are changing for the better. The students are doing amazing things. Every Tuesday, we have companies in to help them develop employment skills.
“We are expecting to do much better over the next year. Everything is in place. We have fantastic staff for next year. I really believe it’s going to be a great year.”
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