Youngsters find out GCSE results across Shropshire and Mid Wales - with pictures
Pupils across Shropshire and Mid Wales are today celebrating straight Grade 9s instead of Grade As for the first time.
The old A*-U grading system has been ditched in favour of numerical grades 1 to 9 – with 9 being the equivalent of an A*.
And plenty of students were on cloud nine as they opened their exam results with classmates in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Powys.
Shrewsbury results
School results will be updated throughout the day.
There were tears of happiness at Belvidere School in Shrewsbury, as students reached the end of a long wait for their GCSE results.
Ripping open the brown envelope, Jack Taylor glanced at his results and the tears started flowing, before he was hugged by his father.
The 16 year old was awarded 10 GCSEs and he passed every one with 7s, 6s and 5s.
His father, Kirk Taylor, said: "I'm chuffed for him, he's worked his socks off for it.
"Obviously the nerves have been there, but his face says it all now."
GALLERY: Results day at Belvidere School
Notable performances at Belvidere this year included Modesty Catt, who gained 11 GCSEs at 7 or better - including six at grade 9 - and Tom Mager,who obtained 10 GCSEs at 7 or better, including seven at grade 9.
More than half the grades at Shrewsbury High School were graded 9-7, while nearly one third were either an 8 or 9.
Jo Sharrock, the independent girls' school's new headteacher, said: "“I am delighted with these excellent results.
"They are a testament to the hard work put in by the girls at Shrewsbury High School and to the staff who clearly understand how our girls work and learn.
"For over half the grades to be at the very highest levels and across a broad range of subjects, it is clear that staff know the girls well and know exactly what they need to excel.
"We are extremely excited now to work with the girls as they move into Year 12 and their A-level and sixth form adventures begin”.
Michael Barratt, headteacher of The Priory School in Shrewsbury, said: "This year’s GCSE results are very pleasing. Broadly speaking, as a result of their hard work, our students achieved some excellent results.
"Nearly one third of our students achieved grade 7 and above and over 90 exam results were awarded a 9 – the very top result. Close to 80 per cent of our overall results were at least a standard pass.
"These results are a testament to the dedication, commitment, ability and tenacity of our students and teachers."
Two thirds of all papers sat by the Year 11 students at Shrewsbury School were graded between 9 and 7 - the equivalent of an A or A* - and 10 students produced a clean-sweep of top A* performances.
Headteacher Mark Turner said: “The students should be very proud indeed of this excellent set of GCSE results, which reflect their diligent and industrious efforts alongside the enthusiasm and passion of the teaching staff.
"The high-level attainment on display is a strong endorsement of the ability of Shrewsbury School pupils to maintain a commitment to academic excellence in tandem with wholehearted participation in a broad and dynamic co-curricular programme.
"We wish them all the best as they celebrate this fine achievement.”
Oswestry and North Shropshire
Marches School headteacher Alison Pearson highlighted the school's success in science, with every student who chose separate sciences achieving a pass.
A record number of students have been offered a place at the Marches School Sixth Form.
“We would like to pass on a big well done to the staff, parents and students who have worked incredibly hard to meet the demands of the new, more challenging GCSE qualifications," Mrs Pearson said.
At Thomas Adams School in Wem, headteacher Elizabeth Dakin praised the "incredible hard" work of staff and students.
"Yet again, we are extremely pleased with the high percentage of our pupils who gained the English Baccalaureate, demonstrating strong performance across a suite of academic subjects," Mrs Dakin said.
“There were numerous outstanding individual achievements. Worthy of particular mention are Megan Bailey, Ewen Berube, Max Chesters, Billy Clubbe, Amber Coxill, Boo Hobbs, Dean Preece and Abigail Threadgold, who, as well as achieving A* and A grades on the old specification subjects, achieved nearly 50 Grade 9s and 8s between them on the new GCSE subject specifications.
“In addition, many students have made exceptional progress over their time at Thomas Adams and we are also immensely proud of those students who have overcome personal difficulties in order to achieve their best."
At independent girls' school Moreton Hall, near Oswestry, 98 per cent of students achieved the English Baccalaureate with five or more passes in core GCSE subjects.
Principal Jonathan Forster said: "Much has been written in the national press about the more rigorous examinations and the pressure placed on students.
"I firmly believe that at Moreton Hall we have a unique environment and the right balance of nurture and stretch, which is exemplified in these outstanding results."
At Lakelands Academy in Ellesmere 72 per cent of students achieved a grade 4 in maths and 78 per cent were awarded a grade 4 in English.
Beth Sinclair achieved 6 grade 9s, the equivalent of the old A* grade.
Headteacher Sophy Bellis said: "Congratulations to our students who have worked hard to achieve a great set of GCSE results.
"They have achieved this at a time of considerable volatility in the exam system, one that has been deliberately designed to be tougher – and yet, Lakelands students have risen to the challenge and achieved well across a range of subjects."
Students at Sir John Talbot’s School in Whitchurch managed a 100 per cent pass rate in English, maths and science, with 70 per cent of all grades being at 4 and above.
A number of younger students took part in this year’s GCSEs and two thirds of Year 10 students obtained grades 4-9 in English Literature.
Student William Dudleston said: “I am really happy – I am so pleased with my results. I am going to do my A-levels in maths and science but still not quite sure what I want to do as a career.”
Independent Oswestry School saw 80 per cent of papers awarded a 9-4 grade.
Notable individual performances included Meredith Bryson from Welshpool, Jennifer Cyffin-Jones from Oswestry and Kit Chan from Macau.
Headmaster Julian Noad said: "The unsettling background to this year’s results make them all the more pleasing to read.
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."
Meanwhile St Martins School near Oswestry said the hard work and dedication of students and staff had been rewarded with successful GCSE results.
Molly Jones was among the star pupils with three grade 9, five grade 8 and three grade 7 results.
"This is probably the best set of results in the school’s history and we wish her every success as she moves to Moreton Hall as part of the two schools' ongoing collaboration," headteacher Sue Lovecy said.
"I am delighted with the results. With the new GCSE exams, students have had to put in maximum effort to get these results and I wish all our students every success as they move to the next chapter in their lives."
Telford area
At Thomas Telford School, 16-year-old Jackson Smith was celebrating a top grade-9 in maths despite juggling studying with playing for Wolves U18 football team.
Jackson said: "I've been out of school a lot training for a full-time football programme, so I've been trying to fit my education around it which has been hard work.
"I'll be going to to play full-time football, I've got a scholarship at Wolves. I'll be coming back to Thomas Telford for a day a week, to crack on with two A-levels, I'll be studying maths and history.
"I'm over the moon and very proud of myself."
GALLERY: Results day at Thomas Telford School
At the Charlton School in Wellington, several subjects - including PE, separate sciences and expressive arts - achieved their best ever results.
The school's top 10 students all achieved a 9 to 7 grade average.
Headteacher at Wrekin College Tim Firth said he was very proud of students as the school recorded its best-ever number of top grades.
Up by 2.4 per cent on last year when the school broke its record, students scored more 8 or 9 grades to break the record for the second year running.
"This comes despite the toughening up of grades, particularly at the top end where 9s are very hard to achieve," added Mr Firth.
"This means that many of our students have secured top grades and that the brightest of them have been stretched and challenged very successfully here."
At Telford College 99 per cent of the further education college's maths and English GCSE students recorded passes.
Graham Guest, principal and chief executive said: “These are great GCSE results, and our students should be very proud to see their hard work rewarded.
“The importance of achieving maths and English qualifications cannot be over- stressed – it opens up a much wider range of higher level course and employment choices for young people.”
Meanwhile 67.5 per cent of grades at Haberdashers' Adams in Newport were between 9 and 7, with 98 per cent at the grade 4 pass mark or higher.
Stand-out students included Tana Benamer, Dylan Gunawardena, Isaac Hampton, Sam Papps, Reuben Thomas and Daniel Ward.
Gary Hickey, headmaster of the selective state grammar school, said: “We are delighted that the number of 9-7 grades is virtually identical to the top grades achieved 2017 (A*-A) grades at 67.5 per cent.
"Once again there have been some truly incredible results with six pupils achieving an amazing 10 GCSEs at grades 8 and 9.
"We have seen particularly impressive results in our science departments with the chemistry department celebrating 62 grade 9 results meaning over half of the year group achieved this incredibly high standard."
About three quarters of results at Newport Girls’ High School were graded 9 to 7 this year, with 24 students achieving the equivalent of straight A* to A grades in all their subjects.
Headteacher Michael Scott said: “This year’s results are testament to the hard work of our largest ever Year 11 cohort.
"With the encouragement of dedicated teachers and supportive families, our students have achieved grades they truly deserve across our academic curriculum, which includes compulsory modern languages, triple science and humanity subjects."
The number of 9 to 7 (A* to A equivalent) grades in maths and English increased by 10 per cent at Burton Borough School in Newport.
Top students there included Jonathan Leigh, Harry Mullinder, Iwan Armstrong, Jack Smallman, Myaa Power, Charlie Ensor, Sam Williams, Billy Barnett, Jordan Duggan and Ffion Neal.
Students who made excellent progress included Edward Lord, Leah Bate, Christina Smith, Daisy Adams, Emma Ozbirn, Jessica Taphouse, Phoebe Hobbs and Celeste Ashford.
Principal Christine Raymont-Hall said:"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our students, staff and families who have worked incredibly hard as a team to ensure our students reach their full potential. Well done everyone and congratulations to the Class of 2018!"
Over in Shifnal at Idsall School, headteacher Pete Bourton said: “We are very proud of the outstanding results our students achieved this year.
"Through the hard work and talent of our students and staff, 85 per cent of students gained at least 9 to 4 in English, and 75 per cent of all students gained at least 9 to 4 in maths."
South Shropshire and Bridgnorth
Church Stretton School students celebrated their GCSE results with 62 per cent of students achieving a pass grade of 4 or better in both English and maths.
John Parr, headteacher, said: “I am delighted that so many students have obtained the grades required to pursue their ambitions.
"These excellent results are a reflection of the students’ outstanding work ethic as well as the commitment from teachers who put in so many hours of work and the parents who supported their children and the school so well."
At Oldbury Wells in Bridgnorth the school saw further improvements on previous years, with 99.3 per cent of students obtaining at least five passes.
Sarah Godden, executive headteacher, said: "There have been significant changes to the exam system this year with new courses and many more long examinations for students to sit, than in previous years.
"Our staff and students have coped very well with those changes and we are pleased to report to the community that they have done very well. Many congratulations to them all."
Meanwhile 87 per cent of grades awarded to students at independent international boarding school Concord College were graded 7 to 9.
A total of 71 per cent of grades awarded to students at the school in in Acton Burnell were either 8 or 9 and 46 percent of grades awarded were 9s.
Headteacher Neil Hawkins said: "Congratulations to our wonderful students who have achieved record results this year. Their determination, dedication and talent have been rewarded with quite astonishing results."
About 64 per cent of students at William Brookes School in Much Wenlock gained a grade 4 or better in English and maths, and 42 per cent achieved a grade 5 or better in both.
The Community College at Bishop's Castle described their results as "phenomenal" after 26 per cent of papers were marked grade 7 or higher and eight per cent given a grade 9.
Stand-out students included Olivia Lempert, with eight grade 9s and two grade 8s, and George Lawrence with six grade 9s, two grade 8s and an A*.
Headteacher Alan Doust said: "We are proud of them all. These new GCSEs were a bit of an unknown, particularly the top end grades, but we have absolutely nailed it.
"These results follow a very positive Ofsted inspection in June, and they confirm what we already know – The Community College is a very good school."
Over the border
Welshpool High School’s headteacher Jim Toal said: “We had many outstanding individual performances.
"In a constantly changing national climate for GCSEs we are very pleased that a quarter of our students achieved five or more grades at A* and A, and that more than 75 per cent achieved five GCSE grades or equivalent at grades A* to C.
"Our congratulations go out to all of our students, and we wish them the very best moving on to their next stage of education, training or employment."
Newtown High School said its results were the best in its history.
In maths/numeracy, 71 per cent achieved the equivalent of A* to C - an increase of 10 per cent overall on last year. In English, 70 per cent of students achieved the equivalent of A* to C grades.
Rob Edwards, headteacher, said: "We are very proud of all our students and their hard work this year.
"The results achieved by the students are encouraging and shows a clear upward trend in the school's improvement journey.
"More robust tracking and monitoring have ensured that students know exactly what they need to do to improve, which has undoubtedly impacted on the students.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the school community for their support during the year."
Ysgol Rhiwabon, between Oswestry and Wrexham, said students had achieved a "pleasing" A* to C pass rate in core subjects and that a "significant number" achieved upper grades.
Headteacher Mrs Ferron-Evans said: “This is a year group which has worked very hard to secure success, attending lots of extra lessons and revision sessions and we are pleased with this set of results. There are some excellent individual performances.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff, students and parents for the incredible amount of hard work and dedication shown across a wide range of studies."
Headteacher of Llanfyllin High School, Dewi Owen, said: "Results are outstanding in a number of subject areas, for example 100 per cent of students achieved grades A*to C in biology, PE, fine art, textiles and photography."
At Wigmore School in Herefordshire 96% of pupils achieved a standard pass (Grade 4/C or above) in English. Eighty two per cent of pupils will leave school with a standard pass in two sciences with a 100% pass rate for the separate sciences.
In maths, 81% of pupils achieved a Grade 4 or above. All of the school’s key measures were well above national averages. In particular, the percentage of pupils achieving the top 9 grade is double the national average in English at 8% and in maths was 5.5% which is again above the national average. In addition, there were Grade 9s achieved in many other subjects.
Headteacher, Mr Dean Curtis, said: “We are delighted with this Year 11’s superb academic results which complement their outstanding achievements in drama, music and sport during their time at school. They have been a brilliant cohort of young people to work with and we wish them the very best of luck for the future.
"A huge thank you to all the staff at Wigmore for their hard work and commitment; they have taught, nurtured and supported these young people to not only achieve a set of fantastic results, but also to develop into polite, respectful and well-rounded young adults.”
Comparison
Some headteachers have raised concerns with the new grading system, predicting that it will be years before it can be used to compare education progress.
In 2017 grades changed for the new rigorous new English literature, English language and maths syllabuses. This year it is the turn of sciences and languages.
Thomas Telford School head Sir Kevin Satchwell said: “The impact of the numerical grading system at our school has not changed much in terms of outcomes for the students.
"We still have a few subjects that are receiving the lettered system of grading, and the challenge for employers will be understanding the difference between the two systems when these students complete their CVs with future applications for employment.
"For example, equating a numerical grade seven with a grade A or a numerical grade six with a grade B is simple enough, but does not seem to appeal to the students or parents that I have spoken with.
"It will take time for the numerical system to become embedded and for the process of heavy reliance upon examinations without coursework to become routine.
"Teachers also have to work to adjust so it will probably be several years before we can use historical performance to compare year on year progress.”
Newport's Haberdashers' Adams School head Gary Hickey said: "I would endorse totally what Sir Kevin has said.
"These exams are completely different and the biggest challenge is how we measure nationally.
"At Adams we have a vast amount of teacher talent and up until this year we could have predicted where our cohorts are going to go.
"But because of the limited exemplar information that has come from the Department for Education, it will take a number of years to build up a baseline of our results."
Education watchdog Ofsted and the DFE have predicted that there will fewer highest mark passes nationally for the science subjects.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "We are concerned that the new grading system for GCSEs ratchets up the pressure on young people another notch.
"It was already very hard to achieve the top grade of A* under the old system, and it is even harder to achieve the top grade of a 9 under the new system.
"Young people striving for those top grades may therefore feel disappointed if they do not achieve them, even though they have done exceptionally well in the grades they do achieve."
