As the new academic year gets underway, we’d like to recognise the achievements of students who got their exam results over the summer. Always newsworthy, this past two years’ grades have generated even closer scrutiny due to disruption caused by the pandemic.

This time we turn our attention to the academic side of school life to focus on Classics.

Eminent historian Mary Beard recently announced she would fund scholarships for two students to study Classics at Cambridge University, as a “retirement present” after almost 40 years of teaching and research. Having brought ancient history to a wider, modern audience via television, the Cambridge professor wants to help widen the reach of Classics as a subject.

August is all about A Level and GCSE results, and with so much good news coming in from the British boarding schools we recommend, we’re pleased to pass on some highlights from just a couple of the schools that shared theirs with us.

The big news over the summer was that GCSE results in England included the new grades for English Language, English Literature and Maths.

GCSEs in England are in the process of being reformed and, as we like to keep you updated on developments in British education, this is our short guide to the changes and their chronology.

Schools in the UK offer several different qualifications to students completing their Sixth Form studies. These include the vocational BTECs (certificates awarded by the Business and Technology Education Council); the Cambridge Pre-U, which prepares learners for the skills and knowledge they need to succeed at university, and, in Scotland, the Scottish Highers, which provide certification for a broad general education and have been the main route to higher education since 1888.