GCSE students make grade

See also - GCSE picture gallery

There were several outstanding individual performances with county pupils being among the very best nationwide in various subjects.

At the showcase Thomas Telford School 100 per cent of candidates achieved the top A*-C grades in English.

Its results in the other core subjects are edging closer to the same level with 98 per cent achieving the top grades in science and 96 per cent in maths.

At Shrewsbury Girls High School six pupils each achieved 10 grade A*s.

Headteachers in the Shrewsbury Partnership for Education and Training Federation have again, as for many years, declined issuing individual school results for the borough's seven state secondaries.

Chairman Candy Garbett said: "As teachers, we are equally as proud of those students who achieve a whole range of A* passes at GCSE as we are of those who only achieve one F grade pass."

Schools across the Bridgnorth district were today celebrating great success in their GCSE results.

Sarah Godden, head teacher at Oldbury Wells School, said: "We are thrilled by the GCSE results this year.

"It's an improvement of 13 per cent on the previous year. I have looked back at results to 1995 and I think it's the best the school has ever achieved."

There are five students at Oldbury Wells School who have achieved 11 or more GCSEs at grades A or A*. They are Hayley Bignell, Nicholas Howorth, Alex Lowbridge, Josie Mahony and Sarah Williams.

The highest achievers at William Brookes School included Tom Foster with nine A*, one A, one GNVQ Distinction and one Grade A in AS level further Maths.

Bethan Pugh achieved seven A*, one A and one GNVQ Merit. Tom Coppin, Rachel Bragg and Melissa Sharpe all of whom achieved five or more A* and A grades.

Headteachers from across south Shropshire were full of praise today for pupils who set new GCSE standards with results even better than last year.There were scenes of jubilation at Lacon Childe School, in Cleobury Mortimer.

Results are among the highest ever with a 72 per cent pass rate for five or more grades at A*-C.

Headteacher Allan Gilhooley said:"This has been a fantastic year for the school and these results are a wonderful confirmation of the work and commitment made by children and staff.

"Everyone connected with the school has worked so hard to make sure these results were the best they could be. I feel so proud of the children and what they have achieved."

The school, which received an award from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust last year for the improvement in its results, has seen a 23 per cent improvement in pass rates since July 2004.

Bishop's Castle Community College equalled its best results in the school's history with 98 per cent pass rate in grades A-G.

Headteacher Terry Hunt said: "Seventy-two per cent of pupils gained five A*-C grades and 58 per cent achieved five A*-C including maths and English.

"It's a great achievement. Well done to everyone involved, particularly the students, but parents and teachers as well."

Results at Ludlow Church of England School were five per cent up on last year, with 61 per cent of pupils gaining five A*-C grades.

Headteacher Phil Poulton said the school was confident they were continuing to improve. The results have risen every year since 2003.

"We are so pleased with the results of our students. They have been awarded for their hard work and ability."

Half an hour of revision each day since January payed off for 16-year-old Zara Burford from Seifton, near Craven Arms, who gained nine A* and one A grade.

"I organised early and it paid off. The week before the exams I actually relaxed!"

Two sets of twins also did well, with Cassi and Mimi Walker and Emily and Laura Quinn, all from Ludlow, passing 10 GCSE'S with grades A-C.

In the north of the county, students at Thomas Adams School, Wem, were among those who were setting new standards.A total of 76 per cent gained five or more A to C grade passes.

Headteacher Neil Hemming was delighted with the results. He said: "These results are our best ever and reflect the hard work put in by students and staff.

"I would like to thank a most committed and dedicated staff for their efforts in contributing to these brilliant achievements."

The Lakelands School, Ellesmere, was celebrating a 74 per cent pass rate for five passes A to C, and The Grove School, Market Drayton highlighted students Hayley and Chloe Norman, who each achieved 19 higher grade passes.

In Oswestry and the surrounding areas, Rhyn Park School and Performing Arts College, St Martins, is celebrating the school's best ever GCSE results, with 65 per cent of students achieving five or more passes at grade C or higher. Headteacher Richard Hedge was delighted.He said: "This outstanding result exceeds the most demanding targets set by the Government and the local auth- ority and builds on last year's performance, which already put us in the top 10 per cent of schools in the country in terms of progress," he said.

The Marches School and Technology College, in Oswestry, also had record breaking results, with 74 per cent of entrants gaining five or more A*-C grades, an increase of eight percentage points on last year.

Graham Davies, headteacher, said: "The results confirm the continuing success of the school, where academic standards have reached an all-time high.

"These results are testimony to the incredible hard work and dedication of staff and pupils."

At Oswestry School, headteacher Paul Stockdale said there was a 100 per cent pass rate with 87.2 per cent of pupils gaining Cs and above.

He said: "The brighter pupils have done extremely well and the modest pupils have also fulfiled their academic potential and better."

Jonathan Forster, headteacher at Moreton Hall, said: "Moreton Hall yet again maintained the highest standards with 56 per cent of candidates passing at the top A* and A grades."

Carl Mincher, Llanfyllin High School headteacher, said 81.8 per cent of students gained five or more A*-C grades, adding that the students "thoroughly deserve their success".

Alison Duffy, headteacher at Llangollen's Ysgol Dinas Bran, said 99 per cent of pupils attained passes, with many students excelling.

Eiddwyn Hall, headteacher of The Maelor School, Penley, expressed his delight as the class of 2007 set a new record with 81 per cent of pupils getting five or more A*-C grades.

At Ruabon High School there was an eight per cent increase in the number of students, 96.8 per cent, gaining at least one GCSE pass.

Pupils at Powys schools were celebrating their GCSE results today with several schools performing a well as, if not better than, last year - even though the overall GCSE pass rate in Wales has fallen.Overall, the number of pupils achieving grades A*-G was 98 per cent, the same as the UK figure, but a 0.1 percentage point less than the corresponding figure in Wales for 2006.

But at least two schools in Powys had a 100 per cent success rate - Ysgol Bro Ddyfi in Machynlleth and Llanfyllin High School.

Pupils at Llanfair Caereinion High School were among the first to get their results this morning.

David Evans, acting headteacher, said: "Overall we are delighted with our GCSE results and the pass rate of more than 73 per cent A*-C grades, which compares favourably with our excellent results of recent years."

High flyers included Gemma Williams, with seven A* and four A grades, Daniel Isaac, with three A*s and eight As, and Ifan Humphreys, with five A*s, four As and two Bs.

Lis Puw, Ysgol Bro Ddyfi headteacher, said: "We are pleased all our candidates achieved 100 per cent pas-ses.

"There were some outstanding individual results."

They included cousins Mari Davies with 13 and Gwyndaf Davies with 12 A-C grades.

Llandrindod Wells High had a 99.2 per cent success rate, with 67 per cent gaining A*-C grades.

Carol Morgan, acting headteacher, said: "We are pleased with the results, particularly in the terms of the boys who were exceptional in relation to their test predications when they joined the school."

At John Beddoes School, Presteigne, headteacher Glyn Richards said pupils had received the best set of results in recent years.

There was an A*-G pass rate of 99 per cent, a 72 per cent A*-C pass rate - with 60 per cent getting five or more at the higher grades - and 97 per cent for five or more A*-G grades.

Sian Harris, Newtown High School deputy headteacher, said this year's results showed another improvement, with a number of pupils achieving 15 passes at A*- C and above.

"Once again we are pleased to see our results moving in the right direction," she said.

See also - GCSE picture gallery