Information for Parents

From the Rector Request a Prospectus Getting to Hutchesons’

Academic Success in 2009

Outstanding achievements

Pupils in S4, S5 and S6 performed oustandingly well in the SQA and A level exams in 2009, with pass rates and A grades well above average.

  • S5 pupils at Hutchesons' gained more 'A' grades at Higher than at any other school in Scotland, with 64% of all results at 'A'.
  • The S5 pupils achieved an average of 4.6 Higher passes each.
  • A total of 77% of S5 pupils (149 pupils) achieved at least five Higher passes.
  • 33% of the total year group (63 pupils) achieved at least five Grade A passes
  • 52% of the year group (101 pupils) achieved at least four Grade A passes, putting them in the top 5% of pupils in Scotland.
  • 12 pupils passed all six Highers at Grade A.

Outstripping National Trends

Several departments at Hutchesons' significantly outstripped national standards in 'A' grades and pass rates for Higher. In Art, French, German, Music, Music, Physics and Spanish, more than 70% of candidates achieved 'A' grades.

  • In Physics, 85% of pupils sitting Higher physics (33 pupils) achieved A grades
  • In Music, each of the 16 Higher candidates and two Advanced Higher candidates achieved an A grade.

Academic Excellence

Twelve pupils achieved 6 As, and five of them - Matilda Greig, Varshini Manoharan, Anna O'Donoghue, Russell Park and Katie Sloan - all at A band 1. Only 15 pupils in Scotland achieved this, and five of them were from Hutchesons'.

Russell Park [S6] is one of three finalists for the SQA Star Award for Academic Excellence.

Sixteen pupils in S6 achieved three 'A' grades in Advanced Higher and A levels and Peter Malcolm achieved four 'A' grades, in Chemistry, Spanish, Maths and Physics.

Five pupils are going on to Cambridge and Oxford: Josh Fields (Economics and Business Management) at Pembroke, Cambridge; Katie Fox (Medicine) at Hartford, Oxford; Peter Malcolm (Chemical Engineering) at Fitzwilliam, Cambridge; Stephen Rose (Medicine) at St John's, Cambridge; Graeme Sneddon (Natural Sciences) at Homerton, Cambridge.

Focus on Highers

Many pupils at Hutchesons' proceed directly to Highers without sitting Standard Grade exams. In an increasing number of subjects, pupils sit Intermediate 2 exams. This enables them to explore the subject more broadly and to closely focus on the Higher exams, the results of which affect university entrance.

Promising Futures

Hutchesons' Grammar School has an outstanding record in placing pupils in universities throughout Scotland and the UK, including Oxford and Cambridge. In addition, many pupils spend a 'gap' year before proceeding to university. Around 50 pupils have gained university places to study Law or Medicine.