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Watch the reaction at
Swadelands School

GCSE students were finding out
today if all their hard work had paid off.

Record rates of GCSE entries were
awarded the top grades in this year's exams in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland.

Schools opened their gates at
10.30am for pupils to pick up their results.

We'll update this page as
results come in from schools across the area (schools listed
alphabetically). Our thanks to all the schools for their
co-operation in compiling these reports.

Angley School,
Cranbrook

Two record-breaking statistics are
being celebrated at Angley School.

Sixty-five per cent of Year 11
students at the school in Cranbrook gained five or more A* to C
passes and a third of the year group - 56 students - achieved 10 or
more high grades.

Individual success stories included
Laura Hare (three A* and six A grades), Jordan Balsamo (six A* and
five A grades), Marah Naylor and Alexandra Holley, who both gained
15 A* to C passes, while Charlotte Stone and Alex Burgess achieved
14 A* to C passes.

Katie Rye, Katie Kember, Verity
Mallion, Oscar Maskell, Rosie Langley, Abby Dewey, Rebecca Mitchell
and Natasha Silkin all achieved high numbers of passes with a
significant amount of A* and A grades between them.

Principal Philip Morris said: "The
success of this outstanding year group has been because the
students were highly motivated and set themselves high standards.
They have been brilliantly led by a talented and dedicated
staff.

"The students have a great platform
on which to secure their careers and their future lives and I wish
them all the very best of success."

Astor of Hever Community
School, Maidstone

The head teacher of Astor of Hever
Community School in Maidstone described pupils results an
"outstanding improvement".

Julia Campbell said: "I am
absolutely delighted for the students who have worked so hard and
for the teachers who have taught them.

"Overall our five A* - C rate has
risen by 19 per cent to 55 per cent and our five A* - C rate
including English and maths has risen from 19 per cent to 27 per
cent."

Executive head teacher Jon
Whitcombe said the school should be justly proud of the
improvements it had made.

Aylesford School –
Sports College

Aylesford School – Sports
College had another great year.

Head teacher Doug Lawson said: “Once again we are extremely pleased
with our continuing exam successes. This year makes it five years
in a row of continued improvement, with this being our best year to
date with 74 per cent of our children achieving five or more GCSEs
or more above grade C with many of them obtaining B, A or A*.

“Our highest performing students were Daniel Martin and Christine
Sanderson with a staggering 17 GCSEs!

“The school’s specialism subjects continue to perform exceptionally
well with 84 per cent of students achieving two or more GCSEs above
C in science and 92 per cent achieving two or more GCSEs above C in
PE.”

Cranbrook
School

Cranbrook School is
celebrating after 100 per cent of students got A* to C grade GCSE
in English and maths, the school’s best ever results.

In total, 143 students sat exams and almost 99 per cent got A* to C
across all subjects. Sixty four per cent of students gained an A*
and A grades.

Brigitte Santer from the school said: “We are delighted with these,
the best ever GCSE results for Cranbrook School.

“We are very pleased that all pupils achieved 5 A* to C grades,
including English and maths, plus 100 per cent passes in English,
maths and science.”

Cornwallis Academy,
Maidstone

Cornwallis Academy has
reported another record-breaking set of GCSE results.

Students at the school in Linton,
Maidstone, achieved 80 per cent A*-C grades in their GCSEs and 52
per cent achieving A-C grades including English and maths.

Head teacher David Simons said:
“These results represent the continuing trend of high achievement
at the academy and is a reflection of the hard work and dedication
shown by the students and staff. Well done to you all.”

Top performing students at
Cornwallis included Ryan Grant with five A*s, two As and two Cs and
Georgio Krousti (pictured) with four A*s, five Bs and two Cs.

Holmesdale Technology
College, Snodland

Students at Holmesdale Technology
College in Snodland have achieved the school’s best results in its
history.

In total 80 per cent of the
school’s 130-strong year group obtained five or more passes at
grades A to C, compared with 70 per cent last year, and 65 per cent
the year before.

Thirty-six children actually
achieved 10 or more GCSEs with two pupils, Sean Copeland
(pictured) and Carlton Foley, gaining an amazing 17 each.

Executive head Ian Hobson described
the results as “excellent”. He said: “We’ve had a really good
year.”

Hugh Christie Technology
College, Tonbridge

Hugh Christie Technology
College students did particularly well in English and maths.

Overall, 64 per cent of all Year 11
students achieved five or more GCSE or equivalent passes with 42
per cent achieving this standard including GCSE English and
mathematics.

Performance in both English and
mathematics improved significantly this year. Pass rates of 100 per
cent were achieved by students studying performing arts, business,
sport, travel and tourism and health and social care.

Students completing Year 11 with
particularly outstanding performances include Alice Halifax-Lyons
who achieved seven of her GCSE grades at A* or A, Rebecca Wells who
achieved six of her GCSE grades at A* or A and Ella Wells who
achieved five of her GCSE at grades A* or A.

Students in Year 10, who took GCSEs
early, also achieved excellent results with one fifth of the year
group having already achieved A*-C passes in English and
mathematics.

Principal Jon Barker said:
“Congratulations to staff and students who have worked tremendously
hard to achieve these excellent results.

"I am pleased with the performance
of many of our girls who have achieved highly with some stunning
individual performances.

"Following our outstanding A-level
results last week and our good OfSTED inspection in May, I am very
encouraged by the progress students at the college are making.”

Invicta Grammar School,
Maidstone

Year 11 students at Invicta
Grammar School, Maidstone, achieved 57.6 per cent A* or A grades in
their GCSE studies, and 55 per cent A or B grades in early entry AS
studies.

Many students took the majority of their GCSE examinations a year
early at the end of Year 10 and in Year 11 studied a combination of
AS courses along with one-year GCSE courses.

Seven students achieved three A grades at AS, 13 students achieved
two A grades and 41 students got one A grade in addition to their
GCSE results.

Head teacher Kirstin Cardus said the school was delighted with the
performance of its students.

She added: “The hard work of all the students and staff at the
school, along with the continued support of parents, has
contributed significantly to the excellent results that the
students have achieved this year.”

Maidstone Grammar
School

Maidstone Grammar School students
also had a good year.

More than 50 per cent of all the results were at grade A or
A*.

The top scholar, George Shankar, achieved an A* grade in 11
subjects.

Anton Martin obtained A* in 10 subjects with one at A and an AS
level French at A grade. Jordan Wooler obtained nine A* grades and
two As.

Headmaster Dr Nick Argent said: “These are pleasing results. They
reflect two years’ of effort on the part of the boys under the
direction of the staff; well done to all concerned.”

Maidstone Grammar School
for Girls

The head teacher of Maidstone
Grammar School for Girls, Mary Smith, said: “We have had an
outstanding set of results for the school in the year when Ofsted
also judged the school as 'outstanding’.

“We are thrilled for our students. Watching their joy as they open
their results envelopes is immensely rewarding.

“I would like to congratulate all our students and the staff who
work so hard for them.”

More than half the year group achieved at least five A* or A
grades, with 47 students achieving at least 10 A* or A grades.
Overall, 57 per cent of all grades were at A or A*.

Sara Ahmed, 16, scooped the school’s best results by gaining 12 A*
plus two As in at AS level in classical civilisation and maths.

The Malling
School

Students at The Malling School,
East Malling, also set a new school record with 50 per cent of
pupils achieving five top grade GCSEs.

All the students who took French gained at least a C grade or
above, and 80 per cent gained a C or higher in additional science,
following the school’s new designation as a specialist college for
sports and health-related sciences.

Principal Carl Roberts was delighted with his students’ success. He
said: “Students and staff have worked really hard this year to
achieve the best results ever and deserve to be congratulated on
their huge achievements.”

Maplesden Noakes School,
Maidstone

Maplesden Noakes School in
Maidstone achieved a 74 per cent GCSE A-C pass rate.

Mascalls School, Paddock
Wood

The head teacher of Mascalls School
in Paddock Wood was pleased with their results.

Vanessa Everett said: “We are absolutely thrilled that 80 per cent
of our students have gained five or more A*-C grades, and
congratulate them and their teachers on all their hard work.

“We have not yet got all our GCSE results in – as
unfortunately, several of our students sat their examinations in
the West Kent hospital school – and we have not yet received the
results for those students.”

NLL Academy,
Loose

“We will continue to get better and
better,” is the message from New Line Learning Academy, after
another year of record GCSE results.

Guy Hewett, head teacher of the school in Loose, said he was
delighted that 53 per cent of students had gained five A*-C grade
GCSE and that 20 per cent had gained five A*-C grades with maths
and science.

He said: “Both figures are significantly higher than last year. Our
value-added score, indicating real student progress, is strongly
positive.

“These results give a clear message that New Line Learning Academy
is a school on the up, with a bright future.”

Top student Ella Harvey (pictured above left with fellow successful
student Casey Sherman) scored 21 GCSEs at C or above. Of the
Year 10 students taking GCSEs early, 45 per cent achieved five or
more A*-C grades and 13 per cent got five or more including English
and maths.

Oakwood Park Grammar
School, Maidstone

Year 11 pupils at Oakwood Park
Grammar School, Maidstone, found their dedication and academic
ability rewarded as they received their GCSE results.

The school congratulated all of its students and particularly
praised Alex Caine and Robert Hollands, who both got 10 A*s and one
A, Thomas Witham, who got nine A*s and one A and Thomas Crickmore,
Daniel Crittenden, Tolulope Akanbi-Onasanya and Michael
Turner who all gained eight A*s

The successful students will now take up places in Oakwood Park’s
sixth form.

Oakwood Park’s head teacher Kevin Moody, was there to congratulate
the boys.

He said: “I am thrilled with
these excellent results .Of particular note is the fact that all of
this year group achieved at least five GCSE’s A* to C including
English and maths.

"I should like to pay tribute to
the hard work of staff and the support of parents as well as the
effort and positive attitude of all of our
students.”

St Simon Stock Catholic
School, Maidstone

Students and staff at St Simon
Stock Catholic School are celebrating their best ever GCSE results,
including some outstanding individual achievements.

Seventy two per cent of students achieved five or more GCSEs at the
higher grades A*-C, with 62 per cent achieving five or more A*-C
grades including English and mathematics.

Head teacher John McParland said: “This is a well-deserved result,
which we have steadily been working towards, with year-on-year
improvement for four out of the last five years.

“Our target was to place ourselves in the top quarter of similar
schools nationally, which we have exceeded. I am also delighted for
all of our students, especially as many have fully achieved or
surpassed their personal targets, in some cases by two or three
grades.”

There were some excellent individual achievements, including
student David Ryan who achieved A* in all 11 of his GCSEs.
Christopher Sarnowski achieved 10 A* and one A grade, and Sarah
Insall achieved seven A* and four A grades.

Sutton Valence School, near
Maidstone

Students and staff from Sutton
Valence School, near Maidstone, were celebrating record exam
results for the second week running.

The results brought a batch of GCSE
results which surpassed last year’s outstanding grades, underlining
the school’s ongoing commitment to improving academic
standards.

Headmaster Bruce Grindlay said: "We
are delighted that 75 per cent of our students have gained A* – B
grades.

"Today’s highest ever results prove
that being involved in every aspect of school life from sport,
drama and music to Duke of Edinburgh and community service supports
achieving very good academic grades."

Tiffany Keep from Harrietsham,
Charlotte Astleford from Headcorn, David Booer from Dartford, Cat
Robinson from Frittenden, Ben Walsh from Shadoxhurst and Hannah
Kitchen from Staplehurst all gained more than seven A*s, with the
top performance coming from Phoebe Cunningham, from Sutton Valence,
who gained an outstanding 11 A* grades.

Students achieved 100 per cent pass
rate in 12 of the 21 subjects sat, including biology, chemistry,
physics, business studies, art, drama, music and sport and PE.

Mr Grindlay said: "Sutton Valence
has an excellent reputation for offering a wide choice of subjects
at GCSE and this year’s results reflect the diverse talent of our
students and the skill of our teaching staff in drawing out each
pupil’s potential."

There were particularly strong
performances in physics, chemistry, media studies, biology and
drama.

The results come just a week after
the school announced its best-ever performances at A-level, with 80
per cent of students obtaining passes at grades A-C.

Swadelands School,
Lenham

Swadelands School is enjoying a second record-breaking year
for GCSE results.

Sixty per cent of GCSE students at the school in Ham Lane,
Lenham, achieved five or more A* to C passes, up from 48 per
cent last year

And 32 per cent of students gained five or more A* to C
passes, including English and maths. Last year's figure was 25 per
cent.

It is a particularly joyous occasion for the school as it
marks the progress it has made since Ofsted recommended it could
improve teaching in certain subjects, particularly English.

Personal achievements include Hannah Greasley, who has 15
GCSEs to her name, 13 of which were A and B grades, Charles
Williams, who has 13 passes, including four A* grades, Emily Meloy,
who has 14 GCSEs including two A* and three A grades.

Other high achievers are James Jackson and Carly Reynolds who
both have 13.5 GCSEs - the half including a shorter course - and
Honor Kendall who achieved 13.5 passes, which includes four A* and
three A grades.

The school, which specialises in sports teaching is also
celebrating 37 per cent of the year group achieving a qualification
in sport, equal to or above a grade C.

Head teacher Richard Baddeley said: "A huge well done goes
to our students.

"I have been at the school two-and-a-half years and last year
we broke our record and this year we have done it again. Early
predictions are that we will do it again with this year's year 10,
based upon the success of their early entry results this
year.

"There are also many staff at the school who have worked hard
to achieve this set of results.

"Today is a testament to everyone who has put in a lot of hard
work over a long period of time."

Valley Park Community
School, Maidstone

Valley Park Community School has
smashed all previous records with a massive 89 per cent of students
celebrating five or more A*-C grades.

Head teacher Vic Ashdown said it
was a "fantastic set of results" for the school, which five years
ago had an A-C pass-rate of 31 per cent.

This year, 44 per cent of students
gained five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths, and 21
per cent of all grades were at A or A*.

Students who achieved at least 8
A/A* grades included Victoria Aelen, Kishor Pun, Katrina Burfiend,
Samantha Jones, Helen May, Ryan Avison, Samantha Potts, Charlotte
Warren, Jordan Bass, Sam Weston and Holly Grace.

Mr Ashdown, who joined the school
in 2004, said: "I am so pleased for the students, their families
and the staff at the school.

"We have spent the last five years
working together on fulfilling our potential."

Wrotham School

Wrotham School head teacher David
Day has described this year’s record GCSE results as
“monumental”.

The school has improved its results for the third year running,
with 83 per cent achieving five GCSEs grade A*-C and 47 per cent
gaining five A*-C grades including English and maths.

Mr Day said: “Schools can have all the facilities in the world, but
ultimately, education comes down to inspiration from teachers and a
competitive ethos which makes learning fun.”

Special praise was given to students with Grade A* and A grades,
including Samantha Payne, who got 10; Matt Haley, with nine and Zoe
Gillard who achieved eight.