Pictures and video: Shropshire and Mid Wales schools celebrate GCSE success

Schools across the region were anticipating another successful year, with most expecting an improvement on last year.

It comes as results nationally reflected the fact less students were entered early for GCSEs and more alternative international courses being taken.

Last year, just over two thirds, 68.8 per cent of entries scored at least a C grade, up 0.7 percentage points on 2013.

That trend was expected to be repeated for 2015 as results were released this morning.

Thousands of students were today getting their results as they look to take on A-level or Btec courses, or start an apprenticeship.

Shropshire Council said early indications were pointing towards good results for the county's schools and academies.

Councillor Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "We would like to warmly congratulate pupils on their success. We would also like to thank all those who are part of our school communities and who have provided much needed support and direction for the pupils, including all teaching staff and headteachers, parents and carers.

"The pupils' achievements are testament to how diligently they have prepared for their examinations and the hard work that they put into their studies.

"This is such an important time for young people as they progress from school to continued education at school or college, an apprenticeship or traineeship, or part-time education or training. We wish all of Shropshire's pupils every success in the future."

Pupils at Oswestry School have once again achieved impressive GCSE results with the overall 5A*to C statistic, including English and Mathematics, at an impressive 72%, with a third of all GCSE entries graded A* and A.

There were some outstanding individual performances: Alexandra Dewing, from Nesscliffe, achieved 6A*s and 4A grades; and Hayley Martin, from Newtown, gained 8A*s, an A and a B grade.

More than a quarter of our boys secured grades all at A*, A or B,: amongst these impressive results local boy Luc Jarzynski, from Oswestry, achieved an A*, 7A grades and a B; and Nonthapat Lersakrussamee, originally from Bangkok, attained 4A* grades, 3 A's and a B.

Julian Noad, Headmaster of Oswestry School said, "As ever, pupils have worked incredibly hard and one can only admire the commitment and determination of those young people who manage to achieve high grades across such a broad range of disciplines. Examination results at Oswestry School are well above the national average and impressive for a genuinely non-selective school.

"I am delighted to say that the majority of students will be joining the sixth form where I am sure they will continue to do well. A-Level results were outstanding this year and serve to underline the overall excellence of the school."

At Belvidere School in Shrewsbury headteacher Pete Johnstone said he was delighted with the pupils' efforts, while overjoyed students celebrated their achievements - and relief that the wait was finally over.

A tearful Lucy Grime, 16, who achieved five A*s, three As and one B grade, said she was thrilled with her results.

She said: "I'm absolutely delighted with my grades but also really relieved. I will be going to Shrewsbury Sixth Form in September where I'll be studying A-Levels in Geography, Biology and English Language and Literature, which I'm really looking forward to."

Mr Johnstone said the school's overall pass rate for five or more A* to C grades - including English and Maths - had increased by more than seven per cent from last year.

He said: "We are delighted with these excellent results which are a tribute to the hard work of our students, supported as ever by the tireless efforts of our outstanding staff team."

Geoff Pettengell, executive principal of Shrewsbury's Academies Trust, which includes Sundorne School and Sports College, and The Grange, praised his staff and pupils.

He said: "Shrewsbury Acadamies Trust congratulates all their students on the summer's examination results. We are particularly pleased with the outstanding results for the more able students who have produced grades which they and their parents should be justifiably proud of and which reflect the students' hard work and support and encouragement they have been given by both staff and parents over the last two years."

There were two notable achievers at Sundorne with Callum Espley-Clegg gaining 12 A*s and two As, and David John who achieved nine A*s and two As.

At the Grange Sam Mayle achieved two A*s and seven A grades.

Michael Barrett, headteacher at the Priory in Shrewsbury, said the overall results were "pleasing" and he was proud of the efforts of both pupils and staff.

He said: "They were very pleasing results for the school and they reflected the significant industry of the staff and the dedication and commitment of the students.

"There was a prolonged period of revision and many after-school sessions, even some holiday revision lessons. Many pupils are very happy because they have achieved at least what they wanted and some more besides.

"Inevitably there are always disappointments because results are very personal. All bar a handful have gained the results they need to go onto the next stage and that is a really important part of what we do."

Year 11 students at Newport Girls' High School have achieved a new school record for GCSE results this year, with a 100% pass rate.

The pass rate was made up of 82.7% of grades being between A* and A, with 51.3% at A* alone, topping last year's results by about 5%.

And 14.4% of the students received B grades, and just 2.9% achieved a C.

As well as GCSE results 18 girls also sat AS Level ICT got an A and 10 out of the 13 girls who sat further maths exams got an A* distinction.

Overall 31 out of the 56 girls in Year 11 got an A* and A grades.

Ros Garner, headteacher of the school said: "The work ethic, commitment and determination of this cohort has really paid off. Among this high achieving group of girls there are also talented musicians and sportswomen.

"Their GCSE results will give them strong foundations on which to build at A Level and they should make the transition to the sixth form with confidence and high aspirations.

"These are our best results and I am incredibly proud of all the girls and staff for this level of achievement.

"I would like to congratulate every individual student and thank the staff at the school for their hard work and dedication."

Adams' Grammar School in Newport reported an excellent set of results at GCSE this year with every pupil achieved five GCSEs at A* to C and many pupils had plenty to celebrate with 24 achieving all A*/A grades.

Headteacher, Gary Hickey, said: "All our pupils sit 10 GCSEs including three separate sciences, a language, a humanity and of course maths and the two English courses. I'm delighted that their hard work as well as the hard work and dedication of our teachers has enabled all of them to achieve five good passes at A*to C.

"There have been some outstanding individual performances but I'd like to congratulate every pupil who has worked hard to achieve these results and I look forward to seeing what they achieve as the vast majority of them move into the our Sixth Form and enjoy the new challenges and opportunities available. We're also looking forward to welcoming over 70 new pupils from schools across the country who have chosen to join us for their A-level studies."

At Burton Borough in Newport 62% of students achieved 5 or more A*to C including English and Maths which is an increase of 2% on last year.

Headteacher David Hill said: "I am delighted by this set of results, which continue the steady improvement in recent years. This is not an easy time for schools with a considerable number of changes to the curriculum, so another year of improved results is a real credit to all the staff, parents and of course the students. I wish them every success in the future."

Particularly notable results were achieved by Ellie Jackson with 8A*'s 3A's; Katie Roberts with 5A*'s 6A's; Ruby Wilson with 6A*'s 5A's; and Alex Swidlehurst who achieved 10 A*'s and one A, which made him the highest achieving student in the school's history.

Ludlow School students will be able to say they were the schools best ever for GCSE results.

Over 67% achieved A* to C grades in English and Maths, with nearly 80% achieving their expected level, improving by 12% and 10% respectively compared with results in 2014. Students also improved the schools five A*to C including English and Maths figure, by 5%.

Students achieved an array of A* and A grades, and these include Jack Corston, Alice Langford, Phoebe Granger, Ella Stanton-Warren, Alex Dahn, Conor Hardacre, Alice and Ella Hodson, Rhianna Laraman, Tom Lloyd, Ed Lothian, Katie Martin, Rowan Pritchard, Chloe Lloyd and Paige Ingram.

At Lacon Childe School in Cleobury Mortimer, more than 80% of pupils made expected levels of progress in English with 41% making more than expected progress.

A spokesman said: "This should see our results, once again, top the progress performance tables for English in the county which they have done for the last five years.

"Eighty four per cent of our students have achieved a 'C' grade or above for two sciences with a 100% pass rate for Further Additional Science. We have achieved outstanding results in English Language (80%) and Literature (80%), Science (84%), French (85%), German (91%), Textiles (94%), Geography (84%), Performing Arts (91%) and Philosophy and Ethics (82%)."

The school's top achieving students were Shauna Pearce O'Reilly who achieved 8 A* grades and 1 A grade; Claudia Minkin 6A* 3A Orla O'Hagan 7A* 1A 1B; Lydi Bond 4A* 6A; Topaz Cartilidge 2A* 7A; Victoria Williams 2A* 7A; Liv Mackender 2A* 6A 1B; Rebecca Parsonage 1A* 7A 1B; Alisha Hawkins 1A* 8A; Andrew Wilson 4A* 2A 3B.

The spokesman added: "The progress of our students from when they join; the 'value added', is once again outstanding. Students at Lacon Childe School make greater progress whilst they are with us than other similar school which is testament to their enthusiasm and engagement with the education being provided.

"Teachers and students have worked very hard and their results reflect the strength of the quality of teaching and learning across the whole school."

The girls and staff at Shrewsbury High School achieved almost 90% of all examinations getting A* to B grade.

Headmaster, Michael Getty said; "We are absolutely delighted with these superb results, and in particular the increase in the top A* to B grades that the girls have secured. Nearly a quarter of the entire year group received a flawless spread of straight A*/A grades, which is a wonderful achievement and feels all the more overwhelming as it comes so soon after the school's excellent A-level results of last week.

"It is particularly gratifying to see we can help the girls to excel in these areas, as amazingly nearly 70% of all grades in Biology, Physics and Chemistry were awarded the highest A* and A grades.

Such pass rates are simply superb by any standard however the girls have managed to reach such dizzy heights right across the board. In Languages, the situation is similar with 71% of all French grades being awarded A*/A and with nearly 90% of our Latin entries achieving a top A* or A grade, which is quite staggering."

Delighted students celebrated record results at Dinas Brân in Llangollen where overall 68% of students achieved the 'gold standard' level 2+, an increase of 8% on results in 2014, and the highest number ever achieved by the school.

Additionally, 100% of students achieved the level 2 threshold or the equivalent of five A* to C GCSE passes.

Over 80% of grades awarded in English and over 70% of grade in Maths were at grade C or better. More than half the grades awarded in Biology, Chemistry, Music, Additional Maths, ICT, Physics, Small Animal Care and Art and Design were at A*/A.

Many students performed beyond their wildest dreams. Congratulations to Jessica Brown from Llangollen who achieved an amazing 11A* grades. Jessica also achieved a Distinction in Additional Maths.

Church Stretton School results saw an increase in the number of pupils achieving five A* to C, including English and Maths, and also five A* to G.

60% of the pupils achieved 5 A* to C (EM) a significant improvement on last year. Over a quarter of the pupils achieved the prestigious English Baccalaureate equivalent. Many pupils obtained outstanding results including Robert Aze with 6A*'s and 5A's; Alex Hearle got 11A*'s and 1A; and Lauren Williams got 10A*'s and 1A; and Sasha Robinson with 11A*'s and 1A.

Headteacher, John Parr, said: "The results are testament to the hard work of our pupils and staff. I would also like to thank our parents who provided unstinting support through their time in school."

At Adcote School there was a 99.6% pass rate, 88% of all grades were at A*-C and almost 40% of all grades achieved were at A*/A. In addition nearly 90% of Adcote pupils have achieved the equivalent of at least 5 passes at grades A* to C in their GCSE and iGCSE results.

At Adcote School many subjects have been examined at IGCSE, which is widely considered more academically rigorous than GCSE.

Headteacher Gary Wright said: "These are more excellent results for our pupils. Well done to Year 11, who have worked hard to achieve their success. In addition to their academic success, they have taken up all the opportunities and extra-curricular activities available to them at Adcote. These include the CCF (Combined Cadet Force), Duke of Edinburgh Award and the Rotary Interact Club.

"We are delighted with all of our public examination results this summer, reflecting the commitment and hard work of our pupils and their teachers. Nationally Adcote School has built on its past achievements and is consistently in the top tier for both A level and GCSE results."

At The Marches School in Oswestry over 70% of students gained A* to C grades in both English and Maths, with over 78% making at least expected progress in both subjects.

An outstanding 74% of students achieved an A*-C grade in English and 71% in Maths.

Headteacher, Mrs Sarah Longville, said: "These exceptional results are a tribute to the incredible hard-work and dedication of the students, staff, parents and governing body and testament to the school's strength in delivering the highest standard of education, particularly in the core subjects. I am so proud of everyone for what they have achieved; they thoroughly deserve these outstanding results."

Students and staff at Sir John Talbot's School in Whitchurch are "on cloud nine" as they received their first set of GCSE results as an Academy.

Results at the school have continued to improve, with 100% of students gaining at least five GCSE passes, an increase of 11% on last year. The number of A* and A grades has also risen by 9%.

Headteacher David O'Toole, said: "I am delighted for our students today, as they celebrate their outstanding achievements. I am also thrilled for the staff who are dedicated and committed to providing the young people of Whitchurch and beyond with the highest possible standard of education.

"The curriculum studied by our students at GCSE is broad, balanced and yet academically demanding so these results are outstanding and, with a thriving sixth form here at SJT, we are looking forward to welcoming many of the students back to embark on A Level courses in September."

At Lakelands School in Ellesmere the 'Class of 2015' achieved some impressive results and these are some of the best ever results for the academy in terms of expected progress in English and Maths, which is now regarded as one of the key measures of GCSE attainment.

The number of students who gained an A* to C grade in both English and Maths was 62%, an increase on last year.

The significant changes in the examination system this year have increased the challenge for students to gain a grade C or above in each subject and yet our students have risen to this challenge to maintain high levels of outcomes. In this increasingly challenging context, the academy has held firm with respect to the five GCSEs including English and Maths outcome measure.

Ian Sanders, headteacher, said: "As always, I am also very proud that students across the ability range have achieved so well in relation to their prior attainment; a testament to our inclusive curriculum is that, consistently, over a number of years Lakelands has achieved pass rate of nigh on 100% over five A to G grades.

"The progress made by our students in Mathematics and English is well above what is expected and exceeds the national figure by some margin.

"The future opportunities derived from gaining good grades in these two vitally important subjects cannot be over stated. The number of top grades was also excellent with around 20% of the GCSE's results at an A or A* grade."

Thomas Adams' headteacher, Elizabeth Dakin, praised the efforts of staff and students on yet another great set of results.

"Everyone has worked very hard this year and there have been some excellent results. 72% of all grades were C or above, with almost 20% at A* and A. In addition, more than 10% of our students gained an A* in Maths.

"We are, once again, very pleased with the high percentage of our pupils who gained the English Baccalaureate, demonstrating strong performance across a suite of academic subjects, supported by excellent results in Modern Foreign Languages.

"There were many outstanding individual performances and a large number of students achieved A*/A grades across all of their subject areas. Worthy of particular mention are Megan Day, who gained 9 A*s and 2 As and Beth Ellis, who has achieved 8 A*s, 1 A and 1 B, as well as representing England at Fencing!

"Certainly, I would like to put on record my thanks to all students, staff and parents, for what was an exemplary team effort."

Jim Toal, headteacher at Welshpool High School congratulated students and staff on a very good year for GCSE results.

He said: "The results this year are among the best in the school's history, and continue a strong track record of academic achievement. 93% of our students achieved five A* to C grades or more, and 100% gained five or more passes. 66% gained five A* to C grades or more, including the very important GCSEs of English and Mathematics. We are also very pleased that there was a 100% pass rate for the students who studied BTEC courses.

"The students deserve the warmest congratulations for their achievements and I would like to thank the team of dedicated staff for their support."

Notable achivers were Ebony Brown with 10A*'s and 1A; and Sophie Hudson with 6A*'s and 4A's.

At Llanfyllin High School there was a 100% pass rate across all subjects has given us great cause for celebration.

Mike Jones, headteacher, said: "We are delighted that 28% of pupils gained five or more A*to A grades or equivalent.

Results are outstanding in a number of subject areas, for example 90% of students achieved an A* to C grade in Science with 34% achieving A* to A."

There were a number of individual students who achieved exceptional results.

Mairi Eyres stands out, having achieved a remarkable 10A* grades; Selane Owen achieved 9A*'s and 1A; Deian Roberts got 8A*'s and 3A's.

Students at Bedstone College are celebrating the school's best ever GCSE results.

Headteacher, David Gajadharsingh said: "While academic results are only one measure of the success of a school, they are an important one. This year, the Year 11 cohort has outperformed all others previously, returning a staggering statistic: 96% of all students achieved at least five GCSEs at A*to C.

"This is the best on record by some margin. In the measure of 5 A*to C (including English and Mathematics), we are also delighted to report another record at 81%.

"I am incredibly proud of the students and I must congratulate them and their teachers on achieving such marvellous results. The majority of them will be staying on in the VI Form and they will certainly be well-placed to start their A-levels with great confidence."

A stunning set of results for staff and students this year at The Community College, Bishop's Castle and the best results for at least 10 years. 64% of the students achieved 5 A*-C including English and Maths, up by 9% on last year.

In addition 38% of students achieved the English Baccalaureate (the Government's more academic measure of success) which 18% higher than national average. This has been consistently high over the past three years.

Results in all core subjects were exceptionally strong this year, as were most of the optional GCSE subjects students chose. The school offers a wide range of subjects at GCSE and most of these substantially improved their results on last year as well. Particularly strong were the individual sciences, languages and geography; art, business, drama and PE were also amongst the high performing subjects posting results in excess of 80% A* to C.

"We have been working hard for these results for some time now" said headteacher Alan Doust.

"The College has introduced many new initiatives over the last 2-3 years which we were confident would work, but to have the proof in terms of an uplift in results is very satisfying to see. Behind these results a rigorous system of support and intervention, not to say a lot of hard work from all concerned. We are all delighted."

William Brookes School's results are much improved on last year staff say.

Pupils gained 63% five or more A*to C grades including English and Maths. Over 50% of students gained five or more A*to B grades with nearly 20% gaining five or more A or A* grades.

Almost all students gained five or more passes at A*to G including English and Maths.

33% of students also gained the gold standard English Baccalaureate, consisting of passes in English, Maths, two Sciences, one of History and Geography and a modern foreign language, which is a record for the school.

Hadley Learning Community is celebrating further success this year following outstanding exam results.

The school has improved every year since it opened and is consistently performing well above national expectations in many areas, especially English and Maths.

Headteacher, Paul Roberts, said: "The school's journey has been a remarkable one and our children, staff, parents and importantly the community are so proud of the achievements made by their school.

"The year 11s were a hard working, dedicated cohort and I am sure they will follow previous year groups in having individual successes in their lives and careers."

Pupils at Tenbury High Ormiston Academy achieve its best ever GCSE results.

Overall 64% of all pupils achieved 5 GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths- this is an increase of 6% points from last year.

Over one third of all pupils achieved the gold star standard of the EBacc and just under one third of all grades were either A* or A. The academy also scored a very positive Progress8 score which is the new performance measure for schools from 2015/16.

More than 70% of pupils achieved A* to C grades in English and in Maths and the progress made in these subjects was above the national averages of last year.

Students and staff at Ysgol Rhiwabon were celebrating good results again this year with 88% of students left with the equivalent of five A* to C GCSEs and every single student left with a qualification.

Performance within the Welsh Baccalaureate was again outstanding.

Headteacher, Alun Harding, said: "I'm pleased that so many of our students have reaped the rewards of all the hard work they put in to their studies.

There are some outstanding success stories to be told and our young people are either able to return to higher studies in our 6th form or move on to new challenges with strong results in the bag. I know that staff and parents will be thrilled with the success of each and every child."