POLAM Hall School is today celebrating its best A Level results since conversion to the state sector – with the school’s final cohort of sixth form students.

Despite the turbulence of this academic year, nine students at the Darlington school have achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with an average grade of B- and almost half of all grades at A*-B.

Abbi Craggs, who joined the school as a scholarship pupil in Year 7 and is the last ever scholarship student to complete A Levels at Polam, has achieved three A* grades plus an A in her Extended Project qualification.

This enables her to go on to study English Literature at Durham University where she has won a coveted Robert Young scholarship.

The school converted to the state sector in September 2015 and Principal Kate Reid said: “This group of students were most negatively impacted by the turbulence that the school underwent after conversion to Free School status. They are also our last ever Sixth Formers.

“Their success today is testament to the excellent education that Polam Hall now offers, to the hard work of our committed staff and to the resilience and confidence of these young people.”

The results build on the significant improvement in GCSE results at Polam Hall in Summer 2019.

Polam Hall School was established in 1848 and announced plans to close the sixth form two years ago.