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The School Today
Amazing Achievements
Elle Wyatt wins 2017 SQA Star Award for Academic Excellence Awarded to the pupil with the top marks overall in the whole of Scotland. Elle Wyatt was named as the winner of the SQA’s Academic Excellence award at the qualification authority’s 2017 Star Awards ceremony, which took place in Edinburgh on Friday 3 November 2017. Presented annually to the pupil attaining the best set of SQA exam results, the prestigious accolade was granted to Elle in recognition of her outstanding achievements at Advanced Higher level. As well as gaining A1 band passes in each subject she took – Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and Maths of Mechanics – at an average of 97%, Elle’s performance in Physics earned her the joint top mark in Scotland, while in Maths she was also joint top in the country, courtesy of a perfect score of 100%. Elle, who left the High School at the end of F6 (S6) and is now studying Natural Sciences at The University of Cambridge, said, ‘It’s an enormous privilege to have received this award!’ The 17-year-old from Guildtown in Perthshire, who also achieved five A1 band Highers last year, said she felt the key to her success had been working hard and doing subjects that she enjoyed. She added, ‘my teachers have been fabulous. I owe a lot to them – I couldn’t have achieved as much without them.’ Dr. John D. Halliday, Rector of the High School of Dundee, said, ‘This is a fantastic achievement. We encourage all our pupils to be the best they can be and for Elle this has meant coming out
on top in the whole country. Encouraged by her teachers, she has worked so hard for this success, showing flair and imagination as well as grit. She was pushed all the way by a number of other very talented pupils in the year, and for three pupils to gain the top marks in three different Advanced Higher subjects is unprecedented in my experience. I’m seriously chuffed! What really pleases me also is that this success comes in the STEM* subjects.’ Elle’s award completes a remarkable set of SQA distinctions for the High School this year, with its pupils having recorded the top, or joint top, results in three separate Advanced Higher subjects; Chemistry (Alex Smith), Maths (Elle Wyatt) and Physics (shared by Elle Wyatt and Ivan Kapelyukh). Alex Smith followed up scoring the best mark in the land in Higher Chemistry in 2016 by repeating the distinction at Advanced Higher level this year. In doing so, she also achieved a hat-trick of top scientific marks, having also recorded the best score in Scotland in Higher Biology last year. Alex, who recently began a Medical degree at The University of Cambridge, had needed an A band 1 pass to meet her course entry conditions. But she was thrilled to discover she’d achieved far more than that. The Rector was thrilled to have seen this unique achievement. He said, ‘I’m thrilled that Alex’s achievement has been recognised in this way as she has been an outstanding pupil throughout her career at the High School. But for the school to have three pupils
