Any insight into why LEH's A Level results plummeted this year?

[ThePlacesYouGo]

We were considering LEH for 11+ but already had some reservations (not least a new, untested Head, plus some cultural issues). Then we saw the A Level results which are dramatically down (both on the last comparable, non-Covid years eg 2019 and 2018, and even more drastically down on the past two years) which have really made us pause.

I'd be grateful if any parents with DDs at the school might be able to shed some light. Was it just a "blip" year (I know they do happen, though this one is pretty drastic) or is there something else going on?

I know this thread is old, but the A level results for 2024 are out and seem to support the hypothesis that last year’s results were a fluke.

From the LEH website:

• 34% of grades achieved were A*
• 75% of grades achieved were A*-A
• 94% of grades achieved were A*-B
• 17 students achieved straight A* grades
• More than half of all A levels taken in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History, German, Latin and Art were awarded A* grades.

The %s are roughly in line with 2019 results.

For full disclosure, I don’t work at the school but I have a DD there.

I would also say that DD is extremely happy at school. The epithets used upthread by some posters to describe the school (posh, for rich but thick girls, old fashioned) are at odds with our experience. The friends DD has made are a lovely, happy, diverse, hard working, talented, opinionated, compassionate and well rounded bunch.

When I went to LEH about a million years ago it used to be at the top of the league table competing against St Paul's girls school. I don't know if it's true but I heard that St Paul's made girls leave if they didn't achieve high GCSEs but at LEH they let girls stay on. Therefore LEH results should in theory be slightly less. I've no idea if that was true then but it's perhaps worth considering when you look at school results. I thought LEH was very posh - my dad was a butcher and my mum working class but I told a mum friends that in Reigate once who came from West London and she said it was more academic than posh 😂. It reminded me of the two Ronnie's sketch.

I don't know if it's true but I heard that St Paul's made girls leave if they didn't achieve high GCSEs

Not true.

Lol they don’t need to - have you seen the SPGS GCSE scores? There are no under achievers to exclude.

LEH has now aligned itself with many other selective schools in requiring a minimum GCSE grade in order to study the same subject at A levels. There are also minimum GCSE grades to study some A levels, so for instance economics requires a minimum grade in maths as does psychology (I think in biology but not sure).

SPGS is on its own followed by some strong schools like CLSG or Godolphin. NLCS or Guildford if you expand the area.
LEH is a great school that I would compare with schools like Habs, WHS/PHS these days. Still all very strong academically.

LEH has now aligned itself with many other selective schools in requiring a minimum GCSE grade in order to study the same subject at A levels. There are also minimum GCSE grades to study some A levels, so for instance economics requires a minimum grade in maths as does psychology (I think in biology but not sure).

This is true for all the selective schools.

Just reviving this old thread with a specific question. So LEH A level results look a lot better for 2025, but chemistry results look relatively pretty poor. Anyone know why? It’s a subject DD is interested in doing at A level so a bit of a concern.