Two Glenalmond College pupils, who were in a school band together, are celebrating reaching a high note in their academic careers after being awarded excellent A-Level results.
Alex Wallace, from Dunfermline, and Angus Grierson, from near Methven, were among the Glenalmond pupils who have contributed to the exceptional results which have seen Glenalmond recording its highest percentage of A* A-Level grades for five years.
More than 12% of Glenalmond results were A* grade and a remarkable 30% of all the results were A* – A grades. These results are set against a backdrop of the national performance which has seen the proportion of students achieving top grades at A-level fall to its lowest level for more than a decade.
Alex Wallace achieved A* grade in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Music and has secured a place as an organ scholar at Cambridge University to study Maths. While at Cambridge Alex will continue to pursue his passion for music, including playing the organ as he has loved doing in Glenalmond’s Chapel.
During his years at Glenalmond Alex was also a drummer in the pipe band and particularly enjoyed taking part in a full range of sports. His school highlights included taking part in Glenalmond performances at Perth Concert Hall, ranging from a concerto to being a member of the rock band performance in his final year.
Angus Grierson was awarded three A* in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, and an A in Art, securing himself a place jointly at Imperial College and the Royal College of Music, to study Physics and Music.
Angus shares Alex’s love of music and plays several instruments, as well as singing in the choir and in school productions. One of his favourite memories of his years at Glenalmond was performing in Variations by Lloyd Webber at a Gala Concert at Perth Concert Hall.
The pair have also been part of a Glenalmond band which they set up together during their early years at the College.
Warden Hugh Ouston, head of Glenalmond College, congratulated Alex and Angus and all the pupils who contributed to the school’s particularly strong results this year.
He said: ‘Very best wishes from all the staff at Glenalmond go to our pupils who have worked so hard to achieve these exceptional results and our thanks go to all the teachers who supported them on their academic journeys.’
Alex and Angus are, observed Mr Ouston, examples of pupils who not only studied hard during their school years, but also fully embraced the wider education and life experiences offered at Glenalmond, including music, drama and sports. They are great examples of the mutual benefits of the academic and co-curricular opportunities at Glenalmond.
A significant factor in the continued high academic performance of pupils at Glenalmond is its pioneering Learning Project, introduced in 2014.
This ground-breaking initiative has seen the introduction of a highly-structured programme of monitoring the pupils’ performance, to ensure areas where additional support may be required are quickly identified and acted on.
Jenny Davey, sub-warden at Glenalmond, leads the Learning Project and said the intention is to further develop the initiative in the coming year.
Mrs Davey said: ‘The Learning Project is at the heart of our approach to learning at Glenalmond and has been equally well received by pupils, staff and parents.’
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