Back in May and June 2024 just under 250 pupils sat public examinations at our school and this week has seen the results of these IGCSEs, AS-Levels and A-Levels released. A record-breaking 1,176 separate qualifications were sat for by our pupils, and although 64 pupils will need to hang on until later in August for their GCSE Greek results, the vast majority of grades are now known, making it possible to celebrate the achievements of our pupils.

IGCSEs

Exactly 100 pupils sat for 731 GCSE/IGCSE qualifications. Of those, 29% resulted in an A* (“A-star”) and 49%, resulted in an A* or A grade. These percentages are well up on last year’s 20% and 42% respectively. Pupils whose performances stood out included Mainta Kourounlian who attained an A* in every subject, scoring 9A* in total; Leonidas Drongitis, Alexandra Mavromichali, Petra Todd and Jiayu Zhu who each achieved 8A* among their exams, while Mohamed Abdel Fattah, Sofia Tzagkaraki-Kaseta, Nga Sim Kimberly Wang and Xuefei Zhang each attained 7A*s among the IGCSEs they sat for.

AS-Levels

Year 12 pupils sat their AS-Levels, where the highest possible grade is A (there is no A*) and where the AS-Levels are, essentially, the first half of what will become a full A-Level following Year 13. A grand total of 273 AS-Level qualifications were sat, with 44% resulting in an A grade, and 77% achieving in at least a C grade. This is up from last year’s 36% and 71% respectively. Pupils who achieved exceptional grades included Despoina Salachas (5A), Nicholas Lempidakis (4A1B) and Penelope Farmakidi, Theodora Farmakidi, Gerasimos Kazianis, Jiachin Lin, Andres Van Meek, Yifei Wang Konstantinos Zafeirakis and Marita Katsouridis all of whom achieved 4A.

A-Levels and Universities

At A-Level, where 202 qualifications were sat for in total, grades are vitally important as many pupils’ acceptance into their chosen university was dependant on the outcome of their A-Levels. The proportion of A-Level grades that were A* was 22% this year. This is up from last year’s 16% and is, in fact, the equal highest in our school’s history, barring the COVID years when exams were cancelled, and grades were awarded by school assessment. The proportion of A-Levels awarded A* or A was 41%, down from last year’s 45%, and the proportion in the A*-C range was 77%, slightly down on last year’s 81%.

Individual stories of excellence from some of our pupils include Dimitris Grigoropoulos, Yun Li, and Ziqing Qian who each scored 4A*, Paris Larios and Yuhan Chen who each scored 3A*1A, Sofya Semenova (3A*) and Kristian Nersesian (3A*). Most remarkable of all was Huijie Su, who secured an amazing 5A*s, and who scored 100% on nearly all her exams this year.

The UK remains the most popular destination for higher education among our school leavers, and this year we see our graduates starting degree courses at UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London, University College London (UCL), City, Warwick, Lancaster, Southampton, Leeds, Exeter and Bath.

Beyond the UK we have school leavers beginning degree courses at such institutions as diverse and widespread as Rhode Island School of Design, USA; Milan University for Modern Languages, Italy; EU Business School, Barcelona, Spain; Utrecht University, The Netherlands, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA; and The Moscow Institute of International Relations in Russia.

School reaction

Headmaster Phil Holden commented “These wonderful results, and the fact that so many excellent young people are leaving our school to begin the next chapter of their education in such a variety of locations, is a testament to the hard work of pupils and staff at St. Lawrence College. I congratulate our school leavers and thank the teachers throughout the school, the staff of St. Lawrence College, and the parents of our pupils for a collective achievement which we can all be proud of”.  

This year’s Panhellenic Forensics Tournament took place on 4-7 April, hosted by Mandoulides Schools in Thessaloniki. 22 schools with over 400 participants competed in the various events: Duet Acting, Oral Interpretation of Literature, Oratory, Impromptu Speaking, Group Discussion and Debate.

With a very strong and enthusiastic team of 24 pupils, SLC achieved 2nd place overall, with 6 Finalists in total!

Our finalists were:

• Troy Mikaelian (Year 10) – Group Discussion
• Kimberly Wang (Year 11) – Dramatic Oral Interpretation of Literature
• Koralia Datsiou (Year 10) – Comic Oral Interpretation of Literature
• Katerina Athanasopoulou (Year 13) + Michael Ziogas (Year 11) – Comic Duet
• Elise Katholos (Year 11) + Thea Colson (Year 11) – Comic Duet
• Sasha Frangos (Year 12) + Andres Van Meek (Year 12) – Comic Duet

Koralia Datsiou, and Katerina Athanasopoulou and Michael Ziogas won 1st place in their categories!

Congratulations to everyone who participated and helped make this such a great team!

On Friday 21st June, St Lawrence College marked the ending of its 44th year with a magnificent evening of recognition for a wide range of accomplishments throughout the school. The guest of honour was the renowned academic, Sir Roderick Beaton, who as well as being an accomplished author of many publications including “The Greeks: A Global History”, held the Koraes chair at Kings College, London until 2018. The delightful Sir Roderick stood amicably with us and congratulated all our outstanding pupils as they took to the stage. 

From years 3 to 6, individually selected pupils in every class were rewarded for the attainment, effort and progress as well as citizenship and other notable performances in particular subjects. From year 7 upwards, pupils were rewarded for their various achievements, culminating in our graduating class of 2024, the year 13 school leavers. Furthermore, recognition was given to several award winners amongst last year's graduating class by our A level exam board, Pearson Edexcel: students now in university who had achieved the highest marks last year in Greece, in Europe and indeed in the world! Huge congratulations for such outstanding achievements; we are very proud of them. 

As always, we look at all our wonderful pupils with great fondness and look forward to the coming year ahead with anticipation. But for now, it's time to sit back and enjoy the summer holiday!

Exam Results Success for St. Lawrence College Pupils

Through May and June 2025 pupils from our Years 11, 12 and 13 took their IGCSE, AS-Level and A-Level exams. A grand total of 226 pupils sat for 1138 qualifications made up of around 3000 individual exam papers! Results began to emerge last week and today we see the release of the final grades to be issued (Greek GCSE).

The simple story is our pupils did us proud once again! The proportions of all kinds of qualifications hitting top grades maintained our outstanding standards from previous years and remain well above UK national averages. And there are plenty of individual success stories as well – read on for a full analysis!

Year 11 and IGCSE/ GCSE

91 pupils in Year 11 sat for 695 IGCSE qualifications in May and June 2025. Their results maintain the high standards set by cohorts of previous years at our school. The key measurements are what proportion resulted in A*/A grade, and what proportion scored A*-C (with C grade or better being considered a ‘pass’). This year’s A*/A rate of 46% showed nearly half of all IGCSEs and GCSEs taken resulted in in a top grade. This proportion was slightly down on 2024’s 49% and yet up on 2023’s 42%. The A*-C proportion of 91% this year beat both 2024 (86%) and 2023 (80%). 

Individual outstanding performances from pupils included Koralia Datsiou (9A*), George Anastassiou (8A*1A) and Adrian Delaportas, Antigoni Giannakopoulou, Hailey Hyeyoon Jun and Tina Liras each of whom attained 7A* among their qualifications.

Year 12 and AS-Levels

In May and June, a total of 243 AS-Level qualifications were sat for by 72 Year 12 pupils. Once again, the standards were very high, well above UK national averages and typical of the high benchmarks our cohorts consistently set year after year. The most frequently awarded grade was A (there is no A* at AS-Level) with 37% of all AS-Levels scoring that top grade. This was a little lower than the 2024 proportion, but higher than 2023. The proportion of AS-Levels scoring at least a C grade was the highest in the last three years at 78%.

Stand out performances included George Tzoutzourakis (AAAAA), Mohamed Abdel Fattah, Athina Christoforou, Yiyi Liu, Zhuoxuan Ying and Xuefei Zhang (each attained AAAA), Alexandra Mavromichalis (AAABB), and Athanasios Argyros, Varvara Biziouk, SofiaTzagaraki-Kaseta and Jiayu Zhu (who each attained AAAB).

Year 13 and A-Levels

63 pupils sat for their final A-Level exams back in June and with the results they have gained the next stage in their educational journey commences. These 63 pupils sat exactly 200 A-Level qualifications, and their A-Level results this year were well in line with those of recent years, and consistently above UK national averages in terms of grade distributions. Just under half (46%) of all A-Levels sat resulted in an A* or A, with A being by far the most common grade awarded across all A-Levels. This is the highest proportion of A*/A in the last three years. Furthermore, an extraordinary 88% scored at least a C grade – which is the highest in the last four years. Indeed, all A-Levels in Further Mathematics, Literature, French, Greek, History and Politics resulted in at least a C. 

Pupils whose performances stood out included Alexandra Kefallonitis and Jiachen Lin who both scored A*A*A*, Guoguo Chen (A*A*A), Andres Van Meek (A*A*AA), Xinyi Hu (A*A*AC), Theodora Farmakidi, Despoina Salachas and Konstantinos Zafeirakis who each attained A*AAA, Yifei Wang (A*AAB), and Saiied Matin Musavi and Alexandros Kotsatos (A*AA).

On to university!

Our school leavers are progressing to an impressive range of universities around the world now, to study hugely diverse degree courses. The most popular destination remains the UK, with around half our graduates, choosing universities across the United Kingdom. These include Imperial College, University College London (UCL), King’s College London, University for the Creative Arts, Bath, Warwick, Edinburgh, Bristol, Stirling, and Southampton as a representative selection. Other school leavers are progressing to universities in the USA, China, Canada, Australia, and across Europe in Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus, France, Spain, Germany and Hungary, while a small number will remain in Greece. Courses they will study include Medicine, Law, Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Design, History & Archaeology, Mathematics, Psychology, Fashion Business & Management, Maritime Engineering, Chemistry, Interior Design and the Fine Arts. We wish them all every success!

Comparing our school results to the UK averages

Our school’s results are consistently above those of the UK in recent years. While some might expect this from a fee-paying school, the pupils at St. Lawrence College could be claimed to be at an additional challenge in that so many of our cohort are working in second or even third languages as they attempt UK exams such as IGCSE and A-Levels. Add to this that we are completely inclusive and non-selective. This means that there is no academic entrance exam to our school and, on the whole, all pupils are entered for all exams in their subjects. Thus, it becomes very clear we can be extremely proud of our pupils’ collective performance and can warmly commend our school staff for their effective teaching.  

IGCSE/GCSE A*-A proportions

2023: UK 26.4%, SLC 42%

2024: UK 22.6%, SLC 49%

2025: UK 23.0%, SLC 46%

IGCSE/GCSE A*-C proportions

2023: UK 67.8%, SLC 80%

2024: UK 67.4%, SLC 86%

2025: UK 70.6%, SLC 91%

A-Level A*-A proportions

2023: UK 27.2%, SLC 46%

2024: UK 27.8%, SLC 40%

2025: UK 28.3%, SLC 45%

A-Level A*-C proportions

2023: UK 76.0%, SLC 81%

2024: UK 76.4%, SLC 77%

2025: UK 77.8%, SLC 88%

School reaction

Headmaster Phil Holden commented “I am delighted that the hard work, dedication, and commitment of so many of our pupils has been rewarded with these strong results. It is a testament to their diligence and effort, but also to the wonderful professionalism of our teachers throughout the school who have supported our pupils in their learning and their exam preparation. I especially congratulate those pupils leaving our school. As well as the high-quality study skills they have acquired, I hope they will also take happy memories with them wherever they are progressing to in the world!”

This year, senior school pupils studying Physics in Years 10 to 13 again participated in the British Physics Olympiad. They embraced the challenge with several winning outstanding awards, placing themselves among the top physicists of their age in the world. This year, a record number of thirty-four Year 10 pupils participated, demonstrating the ever-increasing popularity of the competitions, as well as our pupils’ thirst for higher challenges.

These competitions go beyond the public examinations system and are all to be celebrated. Pupils grasped new ideas and deepened their own thinking in the subject, stretching themselves to their limits and extending their skills and understanding in the process. We are confident they relished these challenges and will continue to go from strength-to-strength in this challenging subject.

We are proud of your achievements:

Junior Physics Challenge for Year 10 (05/05/2025)

8 x Gold awards

17 x Silver awards

9 x Bronze awards

Intermediate Physics Challenge for Year 11 (17/03/2025)

1 x Gold award

4 x Silver awards

5 x Bronze I awards

6 x Bronze II awards

Senior Physics Challenge for Year 12 (10/03/2025)

2 x Silver awards

10 x Bronze awards

1 x Commendation

Physics Challenge for Year 13 (13/12/2024)

1 x Merit certificate

3 x Participation certificates

Over the past couple of weeks, the annual sports days and running events took place for the junior school and high school pupils.
Pupils in years 1,2 & 3 took part in their annual flat races and their sports day incorporated 9 different displays of skills which they have worked on throughout the year. Whereas pupils in year 4-9 took part in track & field events such as running, high jump, long jump, tug of war and shot put.
This was the first year our pupils of years 4 and up enjoyed using the brand-new track and they managed to set many new school records in various events.
Junior school and high school pupils alike worked hard leading up to these events, and created sporting memories that will last them a lifetime.
Thank you to all the parents who were in attendance cheering from the sidelines and made the events that much more memorable!
 

During the 2024–2025 academic year, 85 of our pupils proudly participated in Mathematics Challenges organised by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT). 

While only 50% of participants worldwide receive a Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate—awarded in a ratio of 3:2:1—our pupils achieved significantly above this average. 

• 70% of our Year 12 and 13 participants were awarded a certificate 

• 85% of our Year 9, 10, and 11 participants earned a certificate 

• 64% of our Year 7 and 8 participants received recognition 

We are incredibly proud of the dedication, effort, and mathematical talent shown by all our pupils. 

Special congratulations go to our three pupils who have qualified to take part in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad on June 10th. This is a remarkable accomplishment, and we wish our young mathematicians the very best of luck! 

On Monday, 25th November 2024, our Year 6 Greek History pupils embarked on an exciting journey back in time, visiting the Ancient Agora in the heart of Athens. Organised by the Greek Department, this incredible day brought history to life as pupils explored the fascinating evolution of the Ancient Agora through different eras.

The adventure began with a tour of the Ancient Agora, where pupils wandered through the remains of administrative buildings that once upheld ancient democracy, admired grand ancient temples, and imagined the hustle and bustle of the commercial centre. At the Stoa of Attalos museum, pupils were captivated by a variety of artefacts, gaining insight into how these items shaped the everyday lives of ancient Athenians.

The group followed the historic streets of Monastiraki to the Roman Agora, where they gathered, much like the Athenians of old, in the central forum to share their findings and reflections. The final stop was the awe-inspiring Tower of the Winds, the world’s first meteorological station. Pupils were amazed to learn how it combined a weathervane, water clock, and sundials to track time and weather in ancient times.

It was a day brimming with discovery, curiosity, and hands-on learning about ancient Greece. Our pupils returned filled with new knowledge and unforgettable memories of walking in the footsteps of history.

On Thursday 14th November 2024, the Greek Department organised an educational trip for our Year 9 pupils to Herakleidon Museum, in the centre of Athens.  During our visit our pupils enhanced their understanding of the Ancient Greek technology and its significance in shaping modern culture, science, and art. 

The museum featured a variety of displays, including models and artefacts that demonstrate the ingenuity of ancient Greek civilisation. Year 9 pupils engaged with interactive exhibits and explored ancient Greek inventions and innovations.

The whole experience of our visit to Herakleidon Museum not only enriched our pupils’ knowledge but also enhanced their critical thinking about the impact of technology on society. 

Back in May and June 2024 just under 250 pupils sat public examinations at our school and this week has seen the results of these IGCSEs, AS-Levels and A-Levels released. A record-breaking 1,176 separate qualifications were sat for by our pupils, and although 64 pupils will need to hang on until later in August for their GCSE Greek results, the vast majority of grades are now known, making it possible to celebrate the achievements of our pupils.

IGCSEs

Exactly 100 pupils sat for 731 GCSE/IGCSE qualifications. Of those, 29% resulted in an A* (“A-star”) and 49%, resulted in an A* or A grade. These percentages are well up on last year’s 20% and 42% respectively. Pupils whose performances stood out included Mainta Kourounlian who attained an A* in every subject, scoring 9A* in total; Leonidas Drongitis, Alexandra Mavromichali, Petra Todd and Jiayu Zhu who each achieved 8A* among their exams, while Mohamed Abdel Fattah, Sofia Tzagkaraki-Kaseta, Nga Sim Kimberly Wang and Xuefei Zhang each attained 7A*s among the IGCSEs they sat for. 

AS-Levels

Year 12 pupils sat their AS-Levels, where the highest possible grade is A (there is no A*) and where the AS-Levels are, essentially, the first half of what will become a full A-Level following Year 13. A grand total of 273 AS-Level qualifications were sat, with 44% resulting in an A grade, and 77% achieving in at least a C grade. This is up from last year’s 36% and 71% respectively. Pupils who achieved exceptional grades included Despoina Salachas (5A), Nicholas Lempidakis (4A1B) and Penelope Farmakidi, Theodora Farmakidi, Gerasimos Kazianis, Jiachin Lin, Andres Van Meek, Yifei Wang Konstantinos Zafeirakis and Marita Katsouridis all of whom achieved 4A.

A-Levels and Universities

At A-Level, where 202 qualifications were sat for in total, grades are vitally important as many pupils’ acceptance into their chosen university was dependant on the outcome of their A-Levels. The proportion of A-Level grades that were A* was 22% this year. This is up from last year’s 16% and is, in fact, the equal highest in our school’s history, barring the COVID years when exams were cancelled, and grades were awarded by school assessment. The proportion of A-Levels awarded A* or A was 41%, down from last year’s 45%, and the proportion in the A*-C range was 77%, slightly down on last year’s 81%. 

Individual stories of excellence from some of our pupils include Dimitris Grigoropoulos, Yun Li, and Ziqing Qian who each scored 4A*, Paris Larios and Yuhan Chen who each scored 3A*1A, Sofya Semenova (3A*) and Kristian Nersesian (3A*). Most remarkable of all was Huijie Su, who secured an amazing 5A*s, and who scored 100% on nearly all her exams this year. 

The UK remains the most popular destination for higher education among our school leavers, and this year we see our graduates starting degree courses at UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London, University College London (UCL), City, Warwick, Lancaster, Southampton, Leeds, Exeter and Bath. 

Beyond the UK we have school leavers beginning degree courses at such institutions as diverse and widespread as Rhode Island School of Design, USA; Milan University for Modern Languages, Italy; EU Business School, Barcelona, Spain; Utrecht University, The Netherlands, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA; and The Moscow Institute of International Relations in Russia. 

School reaction

Headmaster Phil Holden commented “These wonderful results, and the fact that so many excellent young people are leaving our school to begin the next chapter of their education in such a variety of locations, is a testament to the hard work of pupils and staff at St. Lawrence College. I congratulate our school leavers and thank the teachers throughout the school, the staff of St. Lawrence College, and the parents of our pupils for a collective achievement which we can all be proud of”.  

On 21st May 2024, St. Lawrence College organised a charity event in aid of Salvia, the Greek Association of Burn Survivors.
The sponsored walk took place on our school grounds, transforming a typical day into one of compassion and unity. The event was more than just a walk; it demonstrated the incredible spirit of our school community coming together with the shared purpose of supporting an important and worthy cause.

We thank Salvia for all the important information we have been able to share with our pupils through our PSHE lessons on fire and burn prevention.

A special thank you goes to Zagori and Mr. Chitos for their kind donation of water for the event, keeping us all hydrated as we walked.

We also extend our thanks to the British Embassy for their assistance in translating and printing informative leaflets on burns, burn treatment and burn survivors rehabilitation.
 

On Wednesday 10^th January 2024, Year 1 took its turn to visit the highly acclaimed Life in Space Exhibition, at the Goudi Olympic Complex. This exhibition aspires to bring children closer to scientific thinking, encouraging them in an educational but at the same time entertaining way to discover the positive impact of space technology on people's daily lives. Very exciting for our children of the future!