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Video: Pupils at St
George's Church of England School in Gravesend get their
results

A brainy 10-year-old has scooped a B grade in GCSE
maths.

Eastchurch Primary School pupil Daniel Dawson has been studying
the subject at the Isle of Sheppey Academy.

He was among hundreds of 16-year-olds who opened their results
at the school’s east site in Minster today.

Chelsea fan Daniel was identified as a gifted and talented pupil
by staff at the Warden Road primary school early on and he started
studying maths at the academy last November.

His mum Anne, manager in the nursery at the primary school, said
her son is above average in other subjects as well, although maths
is his strong point, and she says it doesn’t run in the family.

Eastchurch Primary School
pupil Daniel Dawson

Daniel's just one of the shining stars in this year's GCSE
results round-up.

Teenager Chloe Wheeler had more to
celebrate than most after bagging a massive 16 A* and As.

Staff at Gad's Hill School,
Higham, believe Chloe, of Darby Gardens, Higham, may have
some of the best individual results in the UK.

Other students who deserve a pat on
the back include Emma Shove who got 12 A* and As and Josef Boronki
who notched up 11 A* and As.

Overall, there was a 100% pass rate
for those recording at least five GCSEs and 96% of students
achieved eight or more A* to C grades in an impressive year for the
school.

Headmaster David Craggs said:
"Chloe's, Emma's and Josef's results were absolutely
outstanding.

Northfleet School for
Girls Colyer Road Northfleet - GCSEs, 2011

"Having students with top grades in
all subject categories is an indicator that we have a dedicated
staff and students who have a positive attitude to work and are
prepared to give all that it takes to be successful.

"We expect the majority of our
students to go on to further education and wish them all well in
their future studies.

"I am very proud of them."

Meanwhile, Charlotte Davies and
Lauren Hollowday opened their GCSE results at Dover Grammar
School for Girls this morning, to see they had both
achieved nine straight A* grades.

Charlotte also had three AS levels and Lauren added two top AS
grades to her tally.

Both girls have already attended master classes at Pembroke
College, Cambridge.

Katherine Wiggell enters the sixth form having already gained a
grade A at A level classical civilisation to add to her haul of 10
GCSEs, seven at A*, and two AS levels.

For more on Gravesend and Dartford's
GCSE results, click here

She is joined by Caroline Padfield who also achieved an A grade
at classical civilisation A level to add to 12 top GCSEs including
seven at A*, and an AS level.

Lizzie Grilli had 10 GCSE passes at A* or A and three AS levels
at A grade.

Gravesend's students are also a
bright lot!

Twenty pupils at
Gravesend Grammar School for Girls achieved all A*
or A passes this year.

It's the last year the school will
appear on exam sheets. From September 1, it becomes the Mayfield
Grammar School.

Pupils from Howard
School, Derwent Way, Rainham with their 2011 GCSE results

More than half the students
obtained A* or A and 99.25 per cent achieved 5 A* to C grades.

But as first GCSE results filtered
through across the county, it was a similar picture of outstanding
results.

Among the first to pick up their
results in Medway were students at Strood Academy.

Danielle Orpin, 16, from Strood was
one of the highest achievers - with all her grades being A*s, As
and Bs.

She said: "I was really nervous
walking up because I wasn't expecting to do nearly this well.

"Science was big achievement - I got
two Bs and I don't know how I did that."

Alexandra Scott, 16, from Strood,
achieved A*s in dance and religious studies and a clutch of other
top awards.

She collected her results with mum,
Marina, who said: â"he really worked so hard. She was study, study,
study. I kept saying you need to take a break, but she was
absolutely determined."

More than 70% of pupils at
Strood Academy got five grades at A* to
C.

At The Howard School, in
Rainham, head teacher Paul Morris said: "We've had 90% of
students getting A* to C, which is an improvement on last year.

"It's been a great year for us."

Samuel Balogun, 16, of Rock Avenue,
Gillingham, who got two A*s, eight As and two Bs, has not yet
decided where he study his A-levels.

He said: "I'm really surprised I got
the A*, especially in English. At the start, my friends and I just
wanted to pass it so I've done better than I expected.

"I want to study business studies at
university."

Audio: Students of St
George's CoE School in Gravesend speak to Jess Banham

Ryan Caston, 16, of Marshall Road,
Rainham, who got an A in English, said: "I did better than I
expected. I passed science, which was a surprise. Overall I'm very
pleased."

Meanwhile, experts warn many of those
who received their GCSE results could drop out of the education
system because of cuts to careers advice and the Educational
Maintenance Allowance.

At Hartsdown Technology
College in Margate, pupils achieved above the government's
benchmark, for the third year running.

Students achieved more than 40 per
cent five A*-C grades including Maths and
English.

Hartsdown students turned in record
results with a 59 per cent pass rate in English and a 52 per cent
pass rate in Maths.

Record results in history, a 56 per
cent pass rate in science, high-end performances in drama, music,
media studies and art are combined with strong results in
vocational subjects including IT, business studies and social and
health development.

Top performers include Jess Mills with
15 GCSEs including 3 As and 8Bs; Mah Jamal Madeen with 9 A grades
in her 12 passes. Matthew Robinson gained 12 GCSE passes, Jake
Easthope and Kieran Fields both gained 11.

Delighted pupils from
Folkestone Academy, left to right, Mathew Avery, Elliot Ranford,
Alex Chernyshov, Janel Whitby, Jemma Williams, Cade Mortimer and
Samuel Johnson

Students from Year 10 who took their
GCSEs a year early turned in impressive performances. For example,
Sarah Galbraith, Kate Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Lehan, Natasha
McNally and Harley Russell each gained 10 passes.

Principal Andy Somers said:" It has
been another consistently high performing summer for us at A level
and GCSE. This week’s GCSE results show we have 40 per cent or more
with 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths and this maintains
our high standards.

"I am very pleased that all the effort
put in by students and staff has been rewarded and it is
particularly pleasing that so many of our Year 10 students who sat
their exams early did so very well."

In Dartford, nearly a fifth of the
students at the Leigh Technology Academy hit gold
as the school recorded its best ever GCSE results (gold in the
GCSEs is five or more A or A* passes).

Seven students went even better,
recording 12 A passes including five or more A*s

In all, 95% of students got five or
more A* - C passes.

One pupil - David White - recorded 10
A* and two As - as 18% of students achieved the coveted five A and
A* passes.

"a very proud day for us all…" – peter finnegan, principal, leigh technology academy

Pete Finnegan, the
academy’s principal, said: “The Leigh community is ecstatic about
what our students have achieved. The Leigh has a culture which
inspires every student and gets the very best out of each
one.

“These results are the culmination of
much effort by a talented group of people. Students, staff and
parents really have worked in true partnership and taken attainment
to new heights.”

He summed it up as “a very proud day
for us all”.

He said: “These results maintain The Leigh’s position in the top
10% of schools in the country.”

But for many pupils opening their envelopes today, the results
will be not quite as expected.

And the message from education expert Peter Read is that A
levels are not the only answer.

Mr Read, who runs education consultancy service, Kent Advice,
said there are many routes open for those who do well - and those
who don't get the results they need.

He said: "Many parents are questioning whether they can afford
university in two years' time.

Audio: Education expert
Peter Read

"Up to age 18 make sure you are well qualified in case you don't
go to university and go out to look for employment.

"Young people should be prepared to look around at
alternatives.

"It's quite amazing how many people stay in the same school
solely because it is the comfortable place and it's the place they
know, when there are better options elsewhere.

"If you're not looking at an academic course, training is the
key."

Have you got your results today? Are you celebrating -
or looking at your options? Join the debate below.