SCHOOLS have enjoyed a record-breaking year for A-Levels while Brighton and Hove remains "punching above its weight" above the national average.

Some Sussex schools reported record-breaking results as thousands of pupils across the county went through the joy, disappointment and sheer relief of A-Level results day yesterday.

City councillor Tom Bewick celebrated the city continuing to beat the national average despite the level of top grades of A* to B being achieved dropping for the first time in five years.

Sussex had its fair share of five and four star students with Brighton College proudly producing 14 pupils who got four A*s.

Nationally records were also tumbling with more pupils heading to university than ever before although the proportion of A* and A grades was marginally down.

Brighton and Hove state schools students achieved 57.6 per cent A* to B grades as the city outstripped the national average by nearly five percentage points.

The A* to B dropped from 59.2 per cent.

The overall pass rate for A-levels of 98.6 per cent was above both the national average and last year's city figure.

In West Sussex, the number of grades between A*-E and top grades of A*-B were up on last year.

Record-breaking schools include Roedean with its highest proportion of A* - C at 96.6 per cent and Burgess Hill School For Girls where pupils gained the highest ever proportion of A*-A grades.

Pupils at Hailsham College, Hurst College and Bede's Senior School all recorded best-ever results while a record nine Cardinal Newman pupils will be going to Oxbridge.

Top performing Sussex students included Lancing College's Matilda Dichmont, from Chichester, with 5 A* grades who will head to Trinity College Cambridge on a choral scholarship studying natural sciences.

Shoreham Academy's Spencer Pescod sealed a place at Harvard University with three A*s and two As.

Eastbourne College's Toby Brooks achieved five A* grades while Hurst College's Alexander Norden, from Haywards Heath, will study physics at Oxford University after achieving four A*s.

Among the famous names celebrating were Fred Dimbleby, son of Question Time host David, who got three A*s to secure a place at Oxford and Celebrity Big Brother Chloe Goodman's little "brain box" sister Amelia who was accepted into King's College London. ?

Hove Park School headteacher Rob Reed said: "Exams have got harder over the 22 years that I have been teaching.

"The idea that they have got easier is just a myth.

"These exams are far harder than what I did in school during the supposed golden halcyon days."

Councillor Tom Bewick, chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s children and young people committee, said: “I’m very pleased that Brighton and Hove is continuing to punch above its weight nationally in post-16 education."

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