Students' delight as their wait is finally over for GCSE results
Schools were today celebrating record GCSE results, as elated pupils ripped open their exam papers.
Charter Academy in Southsea saw a huge rise in exam results in the year since it stopped being St Lukes.
A quarter - 25 per cent - of pupils managed to achieve the 'gold standard' of five A* to Cs including English and maths - up from 22 per cent last year.
While 69 per cent of pupils were given five A* to C grades in all subjects, compared to 52 per cent the previous year.
One of those celebrating was Michaela Sylvian, 16, from Portsea.
She will be going to Wellington College in Berkshire on a full scholarship to study drama, English, and government and politics after getting seven Bs, two Cs, and a D.
She said: 'I'm really pleased. I am very proud of my results.'
Sam Ellwood, 16, from Fratton, who got two As among his 12 GCSEs, said: 'I'm most proud of the B grade I got in English Literature - I didn't think I'd actually get my English so that's a great result for me.'
Mayfield School in North End, saw 41 per cent of pupils achieving the 'gold standard', compared to 27 per cent last year.
The school also got 73 per cent of pupils passing five A* to C grades generally, a leap of 12 percentage points.
Headteacher Derek Trimmer said: 'This marks another milestone in Mayfield's history. It really shows that the school is making the kind of progress that it should be making and we are delighted.
'I'd like to thank all of the staff and students for their hard work.'
He added: 'It shows that we have the right range of subjects for our students. We have been really creative and tried to support them any way we can.'
Pupils at King Richard School in Paulsgrove have also excelled themselves.
They achieved a 65 per cent pass rate for five A* to C grades, compared to last year's 58 per cent.
And 35 per cent of pupils also achieved five A* to C grades with English and maths, compared to 33 per cent last year.
Brian McClarin, headteacher at the school, said: 'Over the past 10 years we have been steadily improving.
'Teaching quality is improving and it is just down to hard work.
'Building Schools For The Future is about having a better environment for kids to work in, but when push comes to shove the results are down to hard work.'
Miltoncross School, Milton, saw 65 per cent of their students achieve five A* to C GCSEs, a rise from 52 per cent for 2009.
Its gold standard of A* to C passes with English and maths, remains at 41 per cent.
Neil McLeod, headteacher at Miltoncross, said: 'They have done very well.'
Bay House School in Gosport has recorded a rise in pupils achieving top grades.
Results today show 70 per cent of students at the Alverstoke school were given at least five A* to C grades in all subjects - up from 66 per cent last year.
And 61 per cent achieved the 'gold standard' - five A* to C grades which includes English and maths - up from 57 per cent last year.
Bay House pupils were among thousands who today picked up their GCSE results.
Maggie Marriott, assistant headteacher at Bay House, said: 'We are delighted with the achievements. It is the hard work of young people and understanding what they need to do.
'This year we have had a remarkable year group, they all deserve these results.'
She added: 'They (the students) are aware of how hard it is these days, for them not to be aware would be unlikely.
'Last week's news was daunting that 150,000 students didn't get into university -it is not great for young people.
'But we want to focus on the students' fantastic achievements.'
Elsewhere, Henry Cort Community College in Fareham has achieved a 77 per cent pass rate for pupils achieving five A* to C grades, compared to 72 per cent last year.
And a rise of 15 percentage points takes the number of students getting five A* to C grades, including English and maths, to 58 per cent.
Phil Munday, principal at the school, said: 'I am very proud of the examination results.
'In particular I would like to highlight that this year group came to school with, on average, key stage 2 results that were slightly below national average. Yet on both indicators we are now achieving significantly better results than national figures.'
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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