Exam pupils jumping for joy

There were shrieks of delight and jumps for joy as pupils across Sussex discovered they had performed even better than they had hoped and their long hours of revision had paid off.

Some shed tears of joy, relieved that weeks of nervously waiting for the results to come through had ended with the outcome they had hoped for. Many teenagers are now looking forward to studying A-levels when the new term begins next month.

Others were consoled by friends and parents as they cried tears of sadness after discovering they had fallen short of the grades they wanted.

The national GCSE pass rate rose to its highest level, reaching 98.1 per cent. The number passed with grades A* to C increased from 61.2 per cent to 62.4 per cent. Full statistics are due to be released in October.

In Brighton and Hove there was overwhelming success for independent schools Brighton College, Brighton and Hove High School, Roedean and St Mary's Hall, which all registered 100 per cent pass rates.

Many state schools were also celebrating after seeing improvements in their pass rates. Staff were ecstatic at Falmer High School in Lewes Road, Brighton, after the number of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs graded A* to C increased significantly for the second year running. A rise of five per cent to 36 per cent this year followed last year's ten per cent increase.

Headteacher Stuart McLaughlin said: "I'm elated with the result. We have made a lot of changes here and this shows we are moving in the right direction. Now we want to push past the 40 per cent barrier."

Pupil Sally Touray was celebrating after gaining 11 passes graded A to C.

Sally, 16, of Argyle Road, Brighton, said: "I'm so pleased. I thought I'd failed everything. I really didn't think I'd do this well." Her friend Wendy Xulu, 16, of Montefiore Road, Hove, was delighted with her five A to C passes.

She said: "I was so nervous when I got here, I was shaking, and now I'm so happy. I've got my grades and I can go to college."

Cardinal Newman Catholic School in The Upper Drive, Hove, was the city's leading school with 79 per cent of pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades.

Dorothy Stringer School, in Stringer Way, Brighton, improved its rate from 69 per cent to 71 per cent. Deputy head Brian Orrells said: "These are our best ever results."

Star pupil Laurie Crossley had extra cause for celebration when she discovered she had gained one of the top five marks nationally for both business studies and maths, as well as ten A*s and two As.

Schoolfriends Imogen Withers and Clementine Power both received letters congratulating them for being in the top five in English literature, while Rachel Dykins, Jay Springham and Lucy Watson each achieved seven A*s and three As.

Claire MacNeill was the top performer at independent St Mary's Hall School, in Eastern Road, Brighton, with nine A* grades. Her schoolmate Lily Vernon-Hunt gained six A*s and three As, while 94 per cent of the students gained A* to C grades. Headmistress Sue Meek said she was delighted with the results.

Varndean School's headboy Liam Deakin could hardly contain his joy after discovering he had five A*s, three As and a B.

Liam, 16, from Beaconsfield Villas, Brighton, said: "I wasn't expecting anything like that. I'm thrilled, gobsmacked. I was hoping for one A*. To get five is incredible."

Liam will be moving on to Varndean College to take A-levels in English literature, geography, history, economics and biology.

Schoolfriend Lucy Marshall, who earned four A*s and five As, also received a letter to tell her she had one of the top five marks nationally in business studies.

Lucy, 16, of Crespin Way, Brighton, said: "I'm so chuffed. I came out of the exam thinking I hadn't done as well as I could have. This is such a surprise."

Varndean saw 67 per cent of its pupils gain five or more A* to C grades, including 14-yearold Nikita De Juan, who passed seven GCSEs one year early.

Sam Jordan rolled up on a skateboard to collect his results at Patcham High School, in Ladies' Mile Road, Brighton, and was happy to find he had ten passes.

Schoolfriend Jamie Wallace burst into tears when he discovered he had gained five As and four Bs. He said: "I'm so proud."

New headteacher Paula Sargent said she was pleased with the results at the end of her first year at Patcham. Thirty three per cent of its pupils had five or more A* to C passes.

Mrs Sargent said: "The school is absolutely committed to raising the results and measures are being put in place to achieve that."

Brainbox Stephen Poole was among several outstanding pupils at Brighton College, in Eastern Road. The 16-year-old from Maresfield gained ten A*s and added six A grade passes in AS-level exams taken a year early.

Fellow pupils Matthew Silk, Justin Armitage, Holly Colvin, Katie Sullivan, Patrick Vanderpant and Matthew Donabie all also earned straight A*s.

Three of their schoolfriends, Jenny Boyle, Rishin Patel and Mayurun Ramadas, gained ten A*s each and received letters telling them they had scored among the top five marks in the country - Jenny for French and Rishin and Mayurun for chemistry.

Headmaster Richard Cairns said: "This really is a stellar result." Eastbourne Technology College, named one of the most improved schools in Britain for the past two years, had another boost.

The school, in Hampden Park, saw 67 per cent of its pupils pass five or more GCSEs at A* to C, an improvement of eight per cent