Learners and tutors across Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf have been celebrating as Coleg y Cymoedd rolls out the red carpet following another year of successful A level and vocational results, which has seen three learners bag spots at Oxford University and hundreds of others confirm their first-choice universities.
The South Wales college, which serves more than 9,000 learners and is the biggest A level provider in Caerphilly and RCT, seems to have developed a knack for prepping its brightest for the UK’s best universities, with a steady flow of former learners heading to Oxford and Cambridge, including six over the last two years. As the number of learners applying to university has dropped across Wales, Coleg y Cymoedd has seen a 13% increase on the number of learners applying to university compared to last year.
It has reported high grades across both its academic and vocational courses, with its Nantgarw-based A-level centre seeing an overall pass rate of 99% including 20 out of 23 subjects achieving 100% such as the sciences, Mathematics, English Literature, History and Welsh, with 43% of learners achieving A* A in Further Maths.
As well as its strong A level performance, with 80% of learners achieving A*-C grades this year, and surpassing pre-covid results performance of 63%, the college has also seen exceptional results from its vocational learners, with more than a thousand learners completing Level 3 qualifications. Notably, Coleg y Cymoedd has seen three learners achieve D*D*D* (Distinction *) in Computing, following extensive investment into digital facilities at the college in line with Welsh Government priority areas.
Grace Bennett (18) Seth Olner (18) and Amber-Leigh Mitchell (20) will all be heading to the University of Oxford this September after completing their A levels. Grace will be studying Biochemistry, while Seth is set to study Law at New College, and Amber-Leigh will be joining an English and Classics course at Trinity College.
Ambitious science fanatic, Grace Bennett was inspired by her mother’s battle with melanoma to pursue a career in genetics and has received A*A*A in her Biology, Maths and Chemistry A levels, securing her place at Oxford. Grace also boosted her chance of acceptance at the prestigious university by attending Oxford’s summer school, UNIQ, in summer 2023, a three-day live-in experience made for potential Oxford candidates to discover what full-time education would be like at the university.
Despite her mother receiving the all-clear back in 2022 and since being in remission, the 18-year-old’s dream of discovering the cause of cancer only intensified, and her desire to help others beat the illness became the driving force behind her outstanding academic achievements. She said: “A life in lab coats: that’s the dream. Experiencing the university, city, and the level of education that’s available to me has only made me more eager to experience working in scientific research and being on the frontline of the battle to cure cancer.
“I’m so grateful for the level of support and encouragement I’ve had from my Coleg y Cymoedd tutors during my A levels. Despite really enjoying all three of my subjects, it has been stressful, and my tutors have gone above and beyond to help me with extra revision lessons where needed and making sure I’m as prepared as possible for my new chapter at Oxford. I feel so privileged to have secured a spot at such a prestigious university and I hope to make the college and my mum proud.”
After years of battling anxiety and depression, combined with undiagnosed autism, Amber, from Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg Pontypridd, is finally one step closer to her dreams of being an academic thanks to the support she received from her tutors at Coleg y Cymoedd. She said: “Coming from a low-income background, a spot at university – let alone a one like Oxford – seemed out of my reach. Getting accepted onto Oxford’s Astrophoria programme, which will fund my first year at university has changed that, and I’m proud to have got a place.
“I’m thankful to my tutors who helped me get here, supporting me through my financial struggles and accommodating any issues that arose in class with my neurodivergence and anxiety, which can make it difficult for me to answer questions, read out loud, and work in groups. This support enabled me to secure a place at Oxford. I intend to use this privilege to campaign to improve mental health support in academic settings nationally, while also taking full advantage of Oxford’s incredible library!”
Flying the flag for Coleg y Cymoedd’s vocational learners is Tanydd Williams, who has secured a spot at the University of Bristol to study veterinary science after an unconventional route to her dream career. Having always grown up with rescue pets, including her beloved Staffordshire bullterrier, Zeus, Tanydd’s journey to veterinary science was disrupted by the pandemic back in 2020, where difficulties with constantly being at home without support from her tutors resulted in her not receiving the A level grades she needed to go to university.
Tanydd never get up on her dream, and after a year away from education working in retail, she returned to Coleg y Cymoedd to study an access to bioscience diploma – equivalent to three A levels which has bagged her a place at the prestigious Russell Group university. She said: “My tutors have told me that I need to have more faith in myself and have helped me prepare for my course. They’ve been amazingly supportive and given me constant access to help both in person and via Teams, telling me I can message them at any time, which has been incredible.
“I just want to show other learners who might not have done as well in their A levels as they’d hoped, or who are thinking about alternatives to A levels, that there are other options out there to get university. There’s not one route. The traditional route may not be for everyone and that’s okay.”
Medal-winning high diver and young carer Lydia Williamson-Price is heading to the University of South Wales this September to study midwifery after overcoming several personal challenges including a sudden hospitalisation, the loss of her beloved grandfather, a medical diagnosis, and balancing her studies with her caring and sporting roles thanks to the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS). Coleg y Cymoedd is the only college in Wales with TASS Dual Career accreditation, designed to help athletes aged 16 and above balance their time and achieve their goals without compromise.
“I loved the learning style Coleg y Cymoedd’s Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care offered, it suited me better and the support I’ve received here not only as an athlete but as a young carer has been incredible. Whenever I needed time off the college were so understanding and did all they could to help me, giving me the space to recover while still checking in to make sure I was okay and supplying me with lessons I could do at home. I’m so thankful and I now can’t wait to enter the next stage of my life thanks to their support.”
Coleg y Cymoedd principal, Jonathan Morgan, said: “I am absolutely delighted with the results from the A Level Centre which is testament to the hard work and commitment of learners, the dedicated expert direction of subject and course tutors, as well as the comprehensive, personalised wellbeing support that we have implemented across the college. I’d like to congratulate all our learners and wish them well in their future endeavors.”
