Exam Results & Student Destinations
Academic success at KAS
KAS stands out from most other educational environments by achieving academic success without excessive pressure.
Our public exam results have been excellent in recent years, and this was recognised in our ISI Inspection Report of March 2022. This is in terms of the grades students achieved, which are well above national averages and in line with averages for the independent sector (despite the prevalence of highly academically-selective schools).
Value-added scores
A key metric for us is not just how well students do in terms of the ‘raw’ exam grades, but the progress that they make while at KAS. This is captured by our ‘value-added’ scores, which are generated by The Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, owned by Cambridge University Press. This is the industry standard across independent and international sectors and, in recent years, KAS has consistently scored in the top quartile compared to other independent schools.
Exam result highlights 2024
GCSE
Our GCSE students excelled in 2024, with well over half (55.4%) of grades at 7/A and above. This is well over double the national average of 22% and well above the Independent School average of 48%.
94.3% of grades were at 4/C and above, which again compares favourably to the National and Independent School picture.
A key metric for us is our ‘value-added’ [VA] score which, as outlined above, shows how well students do in relation to their starting point. We were delighted to see that was very positive [+ 0.4] and our second highest VA score on record.
Find out more and hear from the students themselves in our news story.
A level
Our Year 13 students received an outstanding set of results. More than half (58%) of grade were A or A* grades at A level, including UAL Performing Arts – over double the national average (28%) and well above the independent school average (49%). A quarter of all grades were A*, 4 out of 5 were A*-B, and there was a 99% pass rate.
At A level, value added is calculated in greater detail using ALIS predictions. We were delighted that our VA score was in the top 7% of schools nationally as well as in the top 7% of Independent Schools.
Year 13 students were very successful in getting into their chosen courses and universities. Degrees ranged from neuroscience to comparative literature, artificial intelligence to politics, and theatre studies to law. In terms of locations, our KAS graduates will travel far and wide across the country and beyond – including the US, Canada and Europe. In addition, some embarked on work-based internships in the music, film and fashion industries.
You can read all about A level results day, including reaction from students, by clicking on our news story.
Head Robert Lobatto said: “Congratulations to all the students, families and teachers. These are impressive outcomes which demonstrate that you can have both outstanding academic results and a holistic education – it does not have to be a choice.”
Full exam results & leaver destinations 2024
Click below for summary and analysis of last year’s exam results and their destinations post-KAS:
2024 leavers destinations
Below are the destinations of students who applied through UCAS in 2024
| Institution | Course |
| University of Amsterdam | Liberal Arts |
| University of the Arts London | Culture, Criticism and Curation Fashion Journalism and Content Creation Film Practice Public Relations |
| University of Bath | Economics Mathematics and Economics |
| University of Birmingham | Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Arts University Bournemouth | Photography |
| University of Bristol | Drama and Theatre Studies Economics English English and Philosophy |
| Bristol, University of the West of England | Nursing (Children and Young People) Professional Policing |
| Brunel University | Mathematics & Finance |
| Central Saint Martins | Art Foundation |
| Conde Nast College | Fashion |
| Coventry University | Architectural Technology (with foundation year) |
| Durham University | Natural Sciences Sociology |
| University of East Anglia (UEA) | Creative Writing & English Literature Economics |
| University of Exeter | Geography Economics |
| Falmouth University | Fashion Photography |
| University of Glasgow | Politics (SocSci) |
| Glasgow School of Art | Fashion Design |
| Goldsmiths, University of London | Computer Science |
| Imperial College London | Psychology Modern Languages |
| King’s College London, University of London | Kings Culture, Media and Creative Industries Geography and Environmental Science Social Sciences |
| University of Leeds | Fine Art Liberal Arts Philosophy and Politics |
| University of Liverpool | Geography (Science) |
| Loughborough University | Criminology International Business (with placement year) |
| University of Manchester | American Studies History History of Art Politics and International Relations |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | International Business Management (Foundation Year) Fashion Art Direction Textiles in Practice |
| Nottingham Trent University | Psychology |
| Oxford Brookes University | Business Management and Geography |
| Queen Mary University of London | Computer Science Economics and International Relations with a Year in Industry |
| Ravensbourne | Art Foundation |
| Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | Acting |
| The University of Edinburgh | Politics, Philosophy and Economics |
| UCL (University College London) | Architecture English French and Spanish |
| University of Sussex | Engineering English and Creative Writing Mathematics Music Technology |
| University of Vermont | Pre-Med |
| University of Warwick | History History and Politics |
| University of York | Computer Science English/Philosophy (Equal) Psychology |
There is a growing appetite from young people to look for opportunities outside of the university route and support is there for Year 13 students to look for placements in their preferred industries or to go straight into work. We are proud to see KAS students using all the skills they’ve learnt here to take on new challenges.
