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Excellent GCSE and A Level results
Padworth students have again achieved an excellent set of GCSE and A level results this year.
The GCSE results showed that an outstanding 88% of all entries achieved A* to C grades and 40% achieved A* or A grades. The overall pass rate (A* - G) was 100%.
The A level students achieved outstanding results with 77% of exam entries awarded A* - B grades and a 100% pass rate (A*-E). The new A* grade was awarded to 15% of the exam entries. The majority of students have achieved their first choice of university including Bristol, Imperial and UCL.
Principal, Linde Melhuish said, "Congratulations to all of our students who have worked so hard to achieve such an outstanding set of results and my thanks to all of our staff for their effort and commitment . Of course, a good education is about more than the final exam results but it is an essential part of the mix and bears testimony to our high standards of teaching and learning. "
19th August 2010
Prizegiving for Padworth students
Blessed with fine weather for their annual Presentation Day, Padworth College staff and students welcomed Guest Speaker, Mrs Mary Riall, Director of Ufton Court Educational Trust, who spoke to the students about the importance of rising to the challenges life brings and believing in one's own ability. The vote of thanks was ably delivered by student, Sarah Ayromloo.
The Student Leaders then spoke to give thanks and praise to the teaching and pastoral staff and described their own personal experiences of Padworth. Prizes and Commendations were awarded to students from all courses and year groups for academic progress and achievement, effort and attitude, participation in sports and club activities as well as service to the College.
Principal, Linde Melhuish, said, "Presentation Day is a key date in the school year when we have the opportunity to celebrate and reward both effort and achievement inside and out of the classroom. On behalf of all the staff, I should like to congratulate all of the students for their hard work this year."
Click here to download the Presentation Day programme which contains a full list of the prize winners.
June 2010
Padworth Prom
The Sixth form students enjoyed their Prom night held at nearby Aldermaston Manor in early June. Drinks out on the terrace were followed by a dinner and disco and the minibuses home came all to soon for everyone!
June 2010
A Day in the Dealing room for Padworth students
Sixth form students visited the ICMA Centre at Henley Business School, University of Reading to find out more about courses and careers in finance and investment and to participate in a practical share dealing session in the brand new state-of-the-art Dealing room.
The group of 10 students, who are all studying Business Studies and Economics A Level, attended two lectures during the afternoon. The first was given by Dr Adrian Bell, Director of Teaching and Learning who spoke about the role of the ICMA centre and the Finance and Investment Banking course at the University of Reading followed by an interesting talk from Graham Philpott, Deputy Director about the range of careers which former graduates had forged after the course. Mr Philpott also gave the students some useful tips on preparing a successful CV.
The students were then given a tour of the Dealing room and shown how to operate the sophisticated dealing system. Economics student, Alma Pereira said, "It was so interesting - not only did we gain the fundamentals of the share market but we actually applied them in the simulation exercise. At the end, some of us made huge profits while others ended up with equally huge deficits - we all found this an exhilarating experience".
The ICMA Centre has the most extensive non-investment bank dealing room facilities in the world and was established with funding from the ICMA. The Centre is equipped with all the latest trading technology giving it the feel of a real trading floor and it is sponsored by Thomson Reuters.
Head of Economics, Michael Laizans said, "This trip has given our students a real insight into the world of banking and share dealing - the hands-on experience in the Dealing Room was extremely useful and I think will really help their understanding of investment and banking practices. We are very grateful to Reading University for giving our students this opportunity".
April 2010
Year 10 students attended talk by Author
G1 students attended a presentation by author, Marcus Sedgwick held at Leighton Park School, Reading. Our thanks to students Fenella Hall and Tegan Price for telling us about the trip.
"After writing four books which were not published, Marcus Sedgwick spent a year studying websites and literature to find out as much as possible about vampires. He thought that a really old vampire would be a great book idea because vampires are scary and intimidating. He produced 12 different covers for "My Sword Hand is Singing" before he hit on the perfect idea-we think that the picture shows just enough about the book in the picture and doesn't give too much away but makes people want to read it. At the end Mr Sedgwick did a question and answer session. Overall it was a nice trip and we think everyone enjoyed it!"
March 2010
Young Writers Competition Winners
Congratulations to Jamie Duncan and Kapnie Umana whose poems have been selected for publication in the Young Writers Competition based on their powers of perception, imagination, expression and good use of language. The poems will be included in the book "Bust-a-Rhyme" which will be kept at the British Library in London and other libraries in the UK, including ours! Well done to them both and we look forward to hearing more from our budding poets!
February 2010
Celebrating Internation
al Day of Languages
On Friday 25th September, a group of International Study Centre students took part in the European Day of Language celebrations at Willink School, a local school near to Padworth. Here is what the students themselves had to say:
Kim, "On Friday, we went to the Willink School for the European Day of Languages. We taught 16 groups and we learnt that it is not so easy to be a teacher. We all enjoyed teaching the children very much and we were very tired but very happy."
Hai Qin, "We taught our languages to the Year 7 girls and boys (age 11-12). We taught them numbers, parts of the body and animals. We also played some games with them. The most important thing was that we could talk with English people and we could improve our English"
The following week, the ISC students made a presentation in the weekly College Assembly to tell all the other students about their participation in the event.
September 2009
Padworth students achieve outstanding GCSE and A Level results
Padworth College has enjoyed a bumper crop of GCSE and A level results this year A Level students achieved a best ever record of 80% of exam entries achieving A/B grades and a 100% pass rate. The GCSE results showed that 70% of exam entries achieved A-C grades and a 100% pass rate.
The majority of A level students have achieved their first choice of university including Imperial and UCL and two students have won places at Oxford and Cambridge Universities including local student from Brimpton, Hannah Windmill who has won her place at Cambridge to study Social Sciences after obtaining 3 A grades and Vietnamese scholar, Sean Pham who will be going to Oxford to study Computer Science. The A Level results have propelled Padworth into 5th place in the Daily Telegraph Smaller Schools League Table.
Principal, Linde Melhuish said, "We are absolutely delighted with our student's results this year. I would like to congratulate all of them and to thank our staff for their hard work and commitment. Of course, a successful school is about more than good exam results but it is an essential element of the mix and a source of huge fulfillment for staff and students".
Prizegiving at Padworth College 
Padworth College welcomed local minister, Rev Malcolm Duncan as the guest speaker at Presentation Day. Rev Duncan, who also acts as a church consultant and is involved in many community development projects, gave a lively and inspirational speech urging students to pursue their ambitions, to face setbacks with fortitude and resolve and to make the most of every opportunity.
Sixth former, Jonathan Bates gave the vote of thanks and Mr Duncan then presented the prizes which were awarded to students from each year group for academic achievement and commendations for Academic progress. This year, the Principal’s Prize for Service to the College was given to A Level student, Sean Pham for his outstanding contribution to the College community. The audience were entertained by The Padworth Singers who sang “The Birks of Aberfeldy” and Hannah Windmill gave a solo performance of “I’ll give my love an apple”. Principal, Linde Melhuish said, “I should like to congratulate all of today’s prizewinners – they have all made an outstanding effort to achieve the highest standards and to contribute to our community. In line with their excellent example, I think we have also all been inspired by the words of Rev Duncan who has highlighted the importance of determination and dedication in achieving personal goals. I would like to express our thanks to him for making the time to join us for Presentation Day.”
Prizes for Academic AchievementYear 9 Karl Spires and Stephanie Lloyd
Year 10 James Horn, Kapnie Umana and Anna Jadczak
Year 11 Frank Chang
Year 12 Sarah Ayromloo and Hieu Nguyen
Year 13 Jonathan Bates, Jenny Wang, Aryan Bathory, Hannah Windmill Nazanin Amini and Sean Pham ISC Yuri Nishizaki
June 2009
Sixth Form field trip to Pembrokeshire coast
A group of Sixth Formers from Padworth have just returned from the Dale Fort Field Study Centre where they spent a week at the internationally renowned coastal ecology centre based in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The students made the most of the superb opportunities offered by the Centre to investigate marine biology in a variety of coastal habitats and to study coastal processes, geological formations and ecosystems. Each day was spent outdoors in practical tasks such as surveying the shoreline, identifying and recording marine life followed up with analysis and project work back at the Centre in the evenings, supported by both their teachers and the scientific staff based at Dale Fort.
Amongst other excursions, the students took part in a plankton sampling trip where they ventured out into the open sea in a speedboat to collect plankton in nets to view under state-of-the-art microscopes linked to projectors and to discuss plankton's role in the marine ecosystem. Much of the work undertaken fulfils the fieldwork requirements of the A Level Biology and Geography syllabus and will form the basis of the students' coursework in the months to come.
Geography teacher, Dr. Alex Mitlehner said, "Field trips like this really bring a subject to life and give ecology students unrivalled access to a full range of specialized field equipment, expert tutors and well-equipped laboratories. Our students have really enjoyed all of the activities but the highlight of the week for many of them was the boat trip to Skomer Island which gave us a fascinating insight into the ecology and conservation management of this unique location and the chance to see many different species of seabirds, seals and porpoises."
30th April 2009
Padworth celebrates its international ethos 
Padworth celebrated its international diversity at the weekend with an event devoted to entertainment and food from around the world. Around 100 guests joined staff and students at the College for the evening which began with a parade of students dressed in traditional national costumes. A programme followed of international acts including traditional Indian dancing and singing as well as piano and violin recitals from Thailand and China and an outstanding performance from the student and staff choir, The Padworth Singers who sang a traditional English folk song called "The Water of Tyne". The grand finale was a breathtaking performance of Fire Poi by a Polish student. The delicious buffet supper which followed had been prepared by ten teams of students, each of whom chose the cuisine of a different country.
Belinda Sumner, International Study Centre Director, who organised the event said "The students have all worked together to stage this event and it has been a great success - Padworth brings together young people from many different countries and cultures and International Evening reflects the vitality and success of this community."
9th March 2009
Padworth students win gold award in national mathematics competitionMathematicians from the Sixth Form struck gold in the recent UK Senior Mathematical Challenge when Eric Xiang, Sean Pham and Hieu Nguyen won the coveted Gold Awards. Silver Awards were achieved by Chi Do and Jenny Wang and Robin Chen, Kira Liu, Mishary Al-Mutawa and Kelvin Anyaoku won the Bronze Award.
The national competition, organised by the UK Mathematics Trust challenges around 80,000 A/S and A level students to apply their mathematical skills to a series of lively and intriguing problem-solving tasks.
Head of Mathematics, Maurice Biggs, said "We are very proud of all the students who took part in the Maths Challenge this year and are especially delighted with the results achieved by Eric, Sean and Hieu which demonstrate their exceptional ability in Mathematics. The Maths Challenge is a very popular competition at Padworth and provides a stimulating challenge for our students as well as an excellent opportunity to compete in a national competition.
11th February 2009
A group of Padworth students have joined the Army Cadet Force which meets at at local school on a Thursday evening. The group have been taking part in the basic training which has included parade ground exercises, military ranks and bades, map and compass work, first aid, cleaning, dismantling, assembling and handling rifles. They are looking forward to the next stage of their training when they will practise fieldcraft skills and learn how to tackle assault courses. Some of the students will also take part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. At the moment, the new cadets are waiting for delivery of their uniforms.
Head of Boarding, Gordon Wilson said, "This activity provides something completely different for our students to take part in and will develop useful teamwork and practical skills as well as an opportunity to take part in the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh award."
1st February 2009
Three sixth form students from Padworth are in the enviable position of having received offers from Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Hannah Windmill from Brimpton has been offered a place at Girton College, Cambridge to read Social and Political Sciences; Eric Xiang from China has been offered a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford to read Maths and Statistics and Sean Pham from Vietnam has also been offered a place at Worcester College, Oxford to read Computer Science.
Padworth's Higher Education Adviser, Dr Alex Mitlehner who has worked closely with all the sixth form students to prepare their UCAS applications, said, "We were delighted to hear that these three outstanding students have been successful in their applications to Oxford and Cambridge - they are all ambitious and hard working and I am confident that they will achieve the A Level grades necessary to take up their places. We all wish them well for the future."
The majority of the Year 13 students at Padworth have applied to a range of Universities through the UCAS system for entry later this year - our students have achieved good offers and are now working towards their targets in the run-up to the final A Level examinations in May and June.
27th January 2009
Willink School and Padworth College join together to celebrate European Day of Languages
Padworth College joined forces with local school, The Willink, to celebrate the European Day of Languages which is held annually to celebrate language and cultural diversity. A group of international students from Padworth visited Willink School to take part in the Year 7 Round the World Activity Day and gave sample language lessons in 7 different languages to Year 7 students to give them a chance to kick start language learning and to raise awareness about the value of language skills.
Padworth's International Study Centre Director, Belinda Sumner, said, "This is the perfect way to celebrate the European Day of Languages bringing together students from different countries and giving them the opportunity to meet and to enjoy learning together."
30th September 2008
Turkish winner of British Council Let it Grow competition 
Padworth Summer School welcomed the British Council prizewinner Sevgi Aydanur from Turkey for a two week Language and Activities course at the Summer School during August.
The 15 year old Turkish student took part in the Let it Grow competition organised by the British Council to promote English Language courses in the UK and her winning essay about why she wanted to study English in England won her the prize of a two week course at Padworth Summer School.
Sevgi spent two weeks with 100 students from around the world and made many friends as well as improving her English and enjoying the sports and activities programme. Summer School Director, Arthur Shields said, "Sevgi has been a delightful student and has really made the most of her opportunity. We will be offering the prize again in the Let it Grow competition next year on the British Council website and look forward to seeing lots of entries"
20th August 2008
Outstanding A Level results for Padworth students
The Sixth form students maintained consistently high standards in this year's A Level results. The overall pass rate was 100% and 75% of all entries achieved A to C grades.
Of particular note were the outstanding performances of scholars Annalise D'Souza, who gained an A grade in all her six subjects, and Zamira Monteiro, who gained 3 A grades having completed her AS and A2 examinations in just one year.
All students are going on to universities of their choice. At AS level a number of students gained 100% in a variety of modules.
The Principal, Linde Melhuish said, "We are all very proud of what our sixth form students have achieved this year. At Padworth, we endeavour to work very closely with students to achieve their individual academic goals and the results reflect our continuing success. I should like to congratulate all of the students and wish them well in the next stage of their education."
GCSE students achieve 100% pass rate
The Year 11 students at Padworth have excelled themselves once again in the GCSE Level examinations by achieving an overall pass rate of 100%. 78% of all entries achieved A* to C grades.
Principal, Linde Melhuish said, "My colleagues and I are delighted with this year's GCSE results - they are testimony to the determination and hard work of our students and our committed staff. As a non-selective school, we are committed to enabling each individual student to fulfil their academic goals and I believe that these results reflect the College's inclusiveness and the strong learning and achievement culture which motivates and supports all of our students."
Alumni student returns to Padworth for Presentation Day
Padworth College welcomed back alumni student, Dr Mahim Qureshi to speak at their Presentation Day last week and she talked about how her education at Padworth had helped her to make the most of university life at both Oxford and the Imperial College of Medicine. Dr Qureshi is now working at St Mary’s Hospital in London but fondly referred to her years at Padworth as “among the most cherished and memorable of her life with never a dull moment!”
Ian Highley, who served the College as Company Secretary for more than forty years, then spoke to the students about the importance of aiming high but always setting realistic targets, whether they be career-based or personal ambitions. Mr Highley also recounted a number of humorous anecdotes about the early days of Padworth College which was set up as a Sixth Form College for girls in 1963.
Mr Highley then presented the prizes which were awarded to students from each year group for academic achievement and commendations for Academic progress. This year, the Principal’s Prize for Service to the College was given to A Level student , Zameira Monteiro for her outstanding contribution.
During the ceremony, the audience of students, staff and parents were entertained with a selection of songs from around the world from college choir, the Padworth Singers.
Principal, Linde Melhuish concluded, “Presentation Day provides us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements of all the students over the past year but of course, some have made outstanding contributions to the College and deserve special recognition for their efforts. On behalf of the College, I should like to wish all our leavers every success in the next stage of their lives - we are very proud of them all.”
Prizes for Academic Achievement
Year 9 Thomas Leidenbach and Oliver Swanson
Year 10 Alika Bates, Hope Carveth and Chima Eziwhou
Year 11 Farida Waziri and Matthew Pham
Year 12 Aryan Bathory, Hannah Windmill and Aki Ifeobu
Year 13 Arisa Saito, Karishma Ipe, Zamira Monteiro, Annalise D’Souza and Chioma Ifeobu
ISC Kamil Jadczak and Maria Kondyukova
If you would like to read the Principal's address, please click here
2nd June 2008
Padworth Art Show
The final portfolios of work by GCSE, AS and A Level Art and Design and Textiles students were on display this week and 
parents and friends were invited to come and view the exhibition on Thursday 5th June. All of those who came were treated to a diverse and exciting range of art - the exhibition encompassed an array of work and individual styles from ambitious paintings to handmade ballgowns and inventive photography projects.
As usual, the pieces were excellent, and a credit to our very talented students and we will shortly be mounting a display on the website.
6th June 2008
Membership of AGBIS
Padworth College has become a member of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools which supports and advises governing bodies of schools in the independent sector on all aspects of governance, under the umbrella of the Independent Schools Council. The objects of the Association are the advancement of education in independent schools and the promotion of good governance in such schools.
Chair of Trustees, David Pullinger said, "Membership of AGBIS will enable Padworth to move forward with the development of Padworth through the expert guidance provided by them on matters relating to the governance of the College and I am delighted that they have accepted our membership application."
9th May 2008
Padworth gains membership of SHMIS and the ISC
Padworth College has become a member of the Society of Headmasters and Headmistresses in Independent Schools (SHMIS) joining over 100 other well-established independent schools in an association which promotes good practice and high standards within member schools.
Membership of SHMIS follows a successful inspection of the College by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) and accreditation by the Independent Schools Council (ISC).
Principal, Linde Melhuish said, “We are delighted that Padworth has been recognised and accredited by both the ISC and SHMIS - it is testimony to the hard work of all the staff and students and is a seal of approval which gives prospective parents the utmost confidence in the college’s leadership and management”
17th March 2008Padworth Celebrates their International Culture
Delicious food from over 12 countries was served up as part of the annual International Evening at Padworth College to celebrate the diversity of cultures around the world with entertainment and an international buffet prepared by the students.
Over 200 guests attended the event which began with a parade of students dressed in international costumes representing 13 different countries and the global theme continued with the entertainment which featured a variety of international acts with traditional dancing and singing from India, Thailand and Africa as well as piano recitals and the ever popular Padworth Staff and Student Choir who performed the traditional English madrigal “Now is the Month of Maying”.
The supper which followed the entertainment had been prepared by nine teams of students each of whom chose the cuisine of a different country. Their efforts were much appreciated by the guests who were able to sample such delicacies as Polish Bigos and Gulasz, Vietnamese Hanoi dumplings and Pearl cake, Moi-moi and Jollaf rice from Africa and a very tasty Chicken vindaloo and Paneer Mutter from India to name but a few. The meal came to a perfect conclusion with a delicious selection of British puddings!
Principal, Linde Melhuish said, “International Evening is always an incredibly colourful occasion in the Padworth calendar which is enjoyed by all who take part. We are delighted to see so many friends of Padworth here this evening and are very proud of our students who have worked very hard to produce such a wonderful supper”
27th February 2008Art students from Padworth visit Florence
A party of sixth form students from Padworth College have just returned from a trip to Florence organised by the Art Department. Whilst in Italy, they visited the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest and most famous museums in the world where they were able to see the works of Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael and the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David.
The students also had the good fortune to tour the Perugina chocolate factory, home of Italy’s most famous sweet, the Perugina Baci. The students learned about the production stages involved from research and development through to packaging and design and particularly enjoyed the free samples of Baci on offer!
The students spent five fruitful days discovering the artistic, cultural and historical treasures of this beautiful city including the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, residence of the Medici Grand Dukes until 1743 and the fabulous Duomo cathedral.
Art student, Arisa said, “It was a great opportunity for me to visit Florence. It was one of the places where I really wanted to go because I study both Fine Art and History of Art. I was amazed to see many of the masterpieces live and of course, the Dome. It gave me lots of ideas and I had such a brilliant time.”
Head of Art, Marianna Ziffo said, “Everyone really enjoyed this trip and it gave the students the experience of seeing well-known original artworks which supports the historical and contextual aspects of the project work undertaken as part of their A level course.”
27th February 2008Korean footballers from Reading Football Club learn English at Padworth College
Three young Korean footballers who have been signed up by the Reading FC Academy are studying English at Padworth College. The young footballers, Nam Taehee, Ji Dongwon and Kim Wonsik have moved to England as part of the Korean FA's Overseas Youth Development Programme and are training alongside the Reading Under 18's Squad. The rest of their week is then spent at Padworth following an intensive English Language course to improve their English.
Principal, Mrs Linde Melhuish said, "We are delighted to welcome Nam, Ji and Kim to Padworth and to play a part in helping them to get the most out of this wonderful opportunity. I think that our intensive English classes will enable them to integrate into their new life as quickly as possible - we will all be following their progress both on and off the pitch with the greatest interest."
3rd October 2007
Padworth student amongst Top Ten in country
Padworth College student, Louisa Nie, was amongst the top ten in the country in A Level Mathematics, according to Edexcel, the UK's largest awarding body. Out of 26,142 candidates, Louisa achieved one of the highest overall marks. Jerry Jarvis, Edexcel's Managing Director, said, "This is a