THREE young people whose homelands have been riven by war and turmoil are headed for bright futures after flying high in their A Levels.

Oleksandra Khovrak and Myroslava Kondrashova, students at Durham School, studied for their A Levels against a backdrop of Russian forces invading their native Ukraine. Ahmad Mahmood sought refuge at the 608-year-old school after fighting broke out in his home country of Syria.

Oleksandra today learned she had secured a coveted place at the prestigious King’s College London (KCL) where she will study Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She secured incredible A*A*AAB grades.

She said: “I am excited about the course and learning something new, as well as living in London. Durham has been such a nice city to live in and I really enjoyed my time at Durham School. The teachers were great, as were all of the people I met. It was a great community for me.”

Myroslava joined Durham School in Upper Sixth when her family sought refuge in the UK to escape bombing in Kyiv. This was the second time Myroslava was caught up in conflict having previously fled Donetsk in the Donbass region when fighting broke out in 2014.

Myroslava, who achieved A*BBB, said: “My family was always my safety and protection when we were forced to change our place of residence twice due to the military conflicts. Last year Durham School became my second place of safety and protection where I was given a chance to recover and concentrate on my studies.

“I took upon myself a big challenge to complete a full A-Level course in 1 year and have successfully completed this course. This will not be possible without outstanding teaching, incredible pastoral support and overall care I have received from all Durham School staff. Durham School will always have a very special place in my heart!”

Syrian refugee Ahmad achieved A*CCD and will begin a course in Computer Science at Northumbria University this October. It is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes given Ahmad’s English language skills were virtually non-existent when he arrived in England two years ago.

Ahmad said: “I have had a really amazing two years at Durham School. I have learned so much.”

Kieran McLaughlin, Headmaster of the 608-year-old Durham School, said that all A-Level students should be proud of their achievements and that those children from war-affected regions had shown incredible resilience and fortitude.

Mr McLaughlin said: “Undoubtedly, the upheaval in education continues more than three years after the pandemic first broke out. This year’s attempt to settle grades back to 2019 levels has caused worry for pupils, parents and teachers alike. We’re proud of the hard work they put in and wish all of our students well as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.

“Durham School is a global community with more than 21 different nationalities in our pupil population. Tremendous respect is due to Oleksandra, Myraslova and Ahmad who have endured the backdrop of war and devastation in their homelands whilst trying to navigate complex qualifications in their second language. They have bright futures and I wish them well.”

Other notable achievements included:

• Olivia D – A*AAB – Mechanical Engineering, University College London (UCL)
• Matthew E – AAA – Medicine, Leicester University
• Olivia F – A*A*A – Pharmacy, Newcastle University
• Nina F – AAA – Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh
• Will P-M – A*AA – awaiting final confirmation on a place at medical school
• Sebastian C – A*A*AB – History, UCL
• Isabelle W – A*A*A - Natural Sciences, Nottingham

Over half of pupils achieved A*-B with more than 8 in 10 achieving A*-C.

Durham School, along with Chorister School, is part of the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation (DCSF) which educates children ages three to 18.