St Margaret’s School for Girls is celebrating its best exam results in two decades.
A staggering 99.3% of fifth year pupils at the Aberdeen school passed their Highers, with 90.1% achieving an A or B.
Pupils in fourth year also excelled with a 98.5% pass rate (A-C) at National 5, 93.4% at A or B.
Among the straight-A pupils celebrating today is Abigail Allan, who is about to embark upon an exciting gap year teaching English in Costa Rica.
Waiting for her on her return is a place at the University of Strathclyde to study forensics and analytical chemistry.
St Margaret’s School for Girls helped Abigail become her own person
Abigail said her experience at St Margaret’s had helped her see past stereotypes about male and female careers.
“I have had individual careers advice and support tailored to my talents and interests throughout senior school,” she said. “This made me aware of the world of possibilities available to me.
“This in turn provided opportunities to enrich my learning beyond the curriculum.
“Being in a girls school has meant that stereotypes about male and female careers and positions of responsibility bore no relevance to the choices I made.
“Every pupil at St Margaret’s is encouraged and nurtured to find their own pathway and be their own person.”
Alexa following her passions after ‘happiest times’
Fellow classmate Alexa Odell is also celebrating straight As at Advanced Higher level as she prepares to pursue a career in Fine Art.
“The supportive and caring environment provided by St Margaret’s has given me the confidence to follow my dream and pursue my true passion,” said Alexa.
“My artistic talents have always been nurtured and celebrated. I’ve always been encouraged to experiment creatively, which has led to my happiest times at school.
“Small class sizes mean that individual learners are known well and challenged. And they’re supported in a way that is right for them.”
St Margaret’s is Scotland’s oldest girls’ school. Head teacher Anna Tomlinson said: “This year’s results are testament to our pupils’ hard work and motivation. And, of course, to the dedication and skill of our teaching staff.
“We are very proud of the achievements of our learners and extend particularly warm wishes to our sixth year leavers who are now taking up places at an impressive range of universities to study subjects as diverse as medicine, economics, computing science and drama, to name just a few.”
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