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Video: Pupils at
Swadelands get their results

Champagne corks will be popping tonight as students celebrate
their GCSE results.

Around 20,000 Year 11 pupils across Kent and Medway have
slashed open envelopes to find out which grades they gained.

But nationally, the proportion of GCSEs awarded at grade C or
above has fallen for the first time in the exam's history.

Results also show drops in the percentage of English, maths and
science GCSE entries getting passes at A star to C.

At Cranbrook School in Waterloo Road,
Cranbrook, new head teacher John Weeds said he was
delighted with the proportion of A*s and As his students had
achieved, and was particularly pleased with three students who
gained three 11 A* grades and five who gained 10 of the top
grades.

At Bethany School in Goudhurst, the percentage
of A* to C was well above the national average, with 100% of
students taking religious studies gaining A*, A and B grades.

Stuart Reeves, head teacher of Mascalls, in Maidstone Road,
Paddock Wood, was celebrating an increase in the
school’s GCSE pass rate.

The school achieved a 54% rise in A to C marks, including maths
and English, which is 4% more than the previous year. Pupils
achieved a pass rate of 80% in maths and English, which is on par
with the last set of results.

There was a party atmosphere at Holmesdale Technology College in
Malling Road, Snodland, when management laid on a
buffet and balloons as students celebrated their GCSE results.

Students collect their
GCSE results at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

A total of 55% of students gained five A* to C grades – up 15%
on last year. The results mean a record number of students will
stay on to sixth form.

At Maidstone Grammar School for Girls in Buckland Road, students
notched up the school’s best ever GCSE results.

Thirty-three pupils achieved at least 10A* or A grades each,
including twins Alice and Carolyn Rogers, who gained 12 identical
A* grades. And 58% of all grades were A* or A.

And a third of Sutton Valence School students achieved six or
more A* and A grades in their exams, with 41% of all grades being
A* or As, and recorded 92% A* to Cs.

At St Simon Stock Catholic School in Oakwood Park, Maidstone,
75% of students gained five or more A*-C, with a 98% pass rate.

And at neighbouring Oakwood Park Grammar School it was another
record-breaking year with 52% of grades A* or A and 64% of the year
group achieving 5 or more A* or A grades.

In Margate, Hartsdown Academy has smashed its
GCSE results record for the seventh year running.

Nearly half of all candidates there gained more than five A*-C
grades including English.

The overall figure of 82 per cent gaining five or A*-C grades
across the

board is another record breaker, with the greatest ever number of
double

Science passes.

Chatham Grammar School
for Girls pupils celebrate their GCSE results today

In Wilmington, the grammar school for boys
achieved top marks with 100% of pupils gaining five or more A* to C
GCSE’s including English and maths.

Delighted that every student achieved good results, headteacher
at the Common Lane school Andy Williamson said he was especially
pleased that the percentages achieving the top A* and A grades also
increased.

He said: “For the school to break its own records at both
A-level and GCSE in the same year that it appears the standards are
being tightened is a fantastic reflection of the hard work of the
students and teachers alike."

The Leigh Technology Academy, Longfield Academy and
Wilmington Academy are all within the Leigh Academies Trust - and
all three are celebrating an excellent set of results.
At Leigh technology on
Green Street Green Road, 61% of the students have achieved five
higher grades including English and Mathematics for the first
time.

"it is wonderful to be able to celebrate academic excellence with our young people and their parents" – dover college headmaster gerry holden

Longfield Academy on Main Road and Wilmington Academy on Common
Lane have both reached 50% or more for the first time in their
history;

Wilmington has made the most dramatic progress of all as the
results there have gone from 11% to 58% in just three
years.

Hundreds of teenagers across
Sittingbourne collected their
eagerly-anticipated GCSE results today.

Pupils at Fulston Manor broke the school's record for the number
of top

grades.

Pupils get their results
at Hartsdown Academy in Margate

Out of 181 exam takers, 112 achieved at least five A* to C
grades

including English and maths, a total of 62%.

The percentage was up from last year's 55% and is the first time
the

school has passed the 60% mark.

Headteacher Alan Brookes was delighted, saying: "Very few
non-selective

schools exceed 60% on this measure and to do so is a source of
great

pride to us all.

Highsted Grammar pupils
Elizabeth Kirk, who got five A*s, five

Among the high achievers were Melody Butcher and Yasmine Gray,
seven

A/A*s, three Bs; Kelvin Olunsaya, six A/A*s, 3 Bs; and
Elizabeth

Silsbey, six A/A*s, five Bs.

More Westlands pupils than ever have been celebrating after
achieving

the school's best set of results.

Of the 255 year 11 pupils, 150 of them, 59%, gained five A* to C
grades

including English and mathematics, 4% up on last year.

Sittingbourne Community College's exam results met the new
national

minimum target.

The Government wanted 40% of pupils to achieve five or more A*
to Cs and

that was the percentage of the 203 youngsters at SCC who made the
grade.

The number of boys achieving top grades including English and
maths at

Borden Grammar School was on a par with 2011.

Out of 112 pupils, 105, or 94%, had five of more A* to Cs with
the core

subjects.

Casey Russell, Alex Hull
and Martynas Stonkus at St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive
School, Chatham

One of the school's GCSE records was broken - more boys than
ever, 25,

gained eight or more A* or As.

There was an A-class performance by girls at Highsted Grammar
School,

where pupils achieved a plethora of top grades.

Forty two pupils gained A* and A grades in eight subjects or
more and

there were 294 A* and A grades in English, maths and science
subjects.

Thirty year 10s landed top grades in French a year early.

Overall, 99.2% of pupils gained at least five A* to Cs with
English and

maths.

In Gravesend, nearly half of all the
pupils at Mayfield Grammar School have got an A* or an A.

Among them were two students who achieved all A* grades -
Jessica Wright achieved 12 GCSEs and Kerrie Walsh achieved 11.

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In total 99.86% achieved 5A* - E grades including English and
maths.

Overall the school received 14% A* grades, 46% A*-A, 79% A*-B
and

95% A*-C.

Headteacher at the Pelham Road school Elaine Wilson said: “We
would like to congratulate all of our students on their excellent
results.”

Dan Parkinson and Ross
Porter collect their GCSE results at Oakwood Park Grammar School,
Oakwood Park, Maidstone

In Dover, pupils at the girls’ grammar
school have achieved another record points score, with 99.8% of
them achieving five A* to C grades.

Headteacher Matthew Bartlett said he was “dazzled” by the
efforts and achievements of all the pupils.

The school’s points score has risen to an all-time high of
570.3, and no less than 44% of the grades awarded were at A* and A,
with 13% at the top A* grade.

Megan Curtis
gained 12 GCSE passes, nine at A*, along with one AS level. Fiona
Neylon secured 9 A* and one A grade and two AS levels both at grade
A.

Katie Hall gained 12 A* and A grades and Caroline Harris Saville
added a grade A at AS to her tally of 12 GCSE grades all at A* and
A.

Dover College announced a record-breaking set of GCSE results,
with 100% of pupils securing more than five GCSEs at A*- C
grades.

High-achiever Jack French, who spent two weeks of his summer
with the school’s charity project in the Ukraine, earned three A*
and seven A grades.

Boarder Harrisen Cave-Palmer and day pupil Hannah Gray, between
them were awarded an impressive 23 GCSEs including nine A* and nine
A grades.

Dover College Headmaster Gerry Holden said: “At a time when
there is a national debate about a drop in the overall GCSE
pass-rate, I am delighted to report that the class of 2012 has
produced the college’s best-ever results.

"It is wonderful to be able to celebrate academic excellence
with our young people and their parents.”

At the Duke of York’s Royal Military School all the
students passed all GCSEs entered.

A total of 82% of students achieved five or more A*-C
grades.

Students show off their
results at Herne Bay High School

Executive Principal Chris Russell said: “Again, these are very
good results for the students of the Duke of York’s. I would like
to congratulate all students and staff for these results which we
are all very proud of."

The principal and chief executive of Dover’s Astor College
for the Arts have stressed that education is not just about exam
results.

Principal Ed Pallant and chief executive Chris Russell were
commenting after students achieved another record rise in GCSE
results by reaching the government target of 40% five A*-C grades
including English and maths.

In Higham, Eleanor Kift, a pupil at Gad’s Hill
School, had more reason than most students to be nervous about
receiving her results.

Eleanor follows a long family tradition of success at Gad’s Hill
where her mum, Louise (Thompson) was a pupil and head girl at Gad’s
in 1975 and also her grandmother Pauline (Barton), who was a pupil
and also head girl at the school in 1947.

Eleanor and her family were overjoyed to find that she had
achieved the equivalent of 15 GCSE passes.

Headmaster David Craggs said: "It is unusual to find a family
connection going back three generations at a school.

"Eleanor’s family though are all clearly dedicated and
enthusiastic students. Both her mum and gran did well here over the
years and it is good to see that Eleanor has kept up the family
tradition by achieving some quite wonderful GCSE results."

Congratulations particularly went to Amy Haycock who achieved
the equivalent of 12 A* and A grades, Emily Schick 11 A* and As,
Jake Smith 10 A* and As and Hannah Myatt who achieved 9 A* and A
grades.

Bukayo Shoneyin, 15, opens
her results at St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School,
Chatham

GCSE targets set at the Charles Dickens School in
Broadstairs have been

beaten - with more than 43 per cent of candidates achieving
five or more A*-C passes

including English and Maths.

Head teacher Andrew Olsson said: “What is very pleasing is that
within the bald statistic of 43 per cent A*-C with English and
Maths lies important facts that demonstrate students have increased
their predicted grades over the last year – this shows consistent
improvement which is important for our school.”

Are you collecting your GCSE results today? Let us know how you get on by leaving a message below.