GCSE results day for south-east London and north Kent students - live blog replay (From News Shopper)

5:25pm

And it's a wrap for our GCSE results day blog.

Well done to pupils across the area who have achieved some fantastic results. Good on their teachers and parents as well.

For those still on school holidays, enjoy the time off you've got left! We'll look forward to running more school stories when the new term starts.

4:58pm

Of the 327 Year 11 pupils at Erith School, 90 per cent gained five A* to C grades with 43 per cent achieving five A* to C grades including English and maths - a three per cent improvement on last year.

Top achievers include Patience Adu-Poku who gained A* grades in English language, maths and RE, A grades in English literature, science and sociology in addition to double distinction in business.

Nikki O’Halloran gained A grades in maths, biology, chemistry, physics, geography, history, RE and IT including double distinction in art.

Jagdeep Pandher achieved A* in maths, biology, chemistry, physics, A grades in English language, RE and IT including double distinction in business.

Olamide Fagbemigun achieved A* in maths, A grades in English language, history and IT including double distinction in art.

Principal Julie Turner said: "The Year 11 pupils and their teachers, supported by parents, have all worked extremely hard.

"I am so proud of them and wish them every success in the future."

Pictured above: Patience Adu-Poku, Bethany Wallis, principal Julie Turner, Olamide Fagbemigun, Nikki O’Halloran and Jagdeep Pandher at Erith School

4:37pm

Harris Academy Falconwood has plenty to celebrate after quadrupling its GCSE results in the four years since it opened in September 2008.

In total, 68 per cent of students achieved five or more GCSE passes including English and maths. These results, which are the Academy’s best ever, place the school well above the national average.

Academy principal Terrie Askew said: "These results are the reward for our students of five years’ hard work. With a full set of GCSE qualifications, they have the world at their feet.  The vast majority will continue to study towards A Levels and university.

"We are very proud to be among the most improved schools in the country and to have bucked the national trend of results going down. We are privileged at the Academy to have a superb team of staff and I would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication."

4:34pm

4:31pm

There were many delighted students at St Dunstan's College, where more than 95 per cent of GCSE grades were A* to C.

4:29pm

Year 11 students at St Dunstan’s College have also achieved excellent GCSE results.

The headline figures are:

• 47.6 per cent of exams were awarded A*-A grades (national average 22.4 per cent)
• 78.8 per cent were awarded A*-B grades
• 95.6 per cent were graded A*-C (national average 69.4 per cent)
• 100 per cent pass rate

Top students were Constance Sjodin who achieved an impressive 11 A* grades, and Emma Bunting who was awarded 10 A*s.

Congratulations also go to Jordan Mariotti–Wood who achieved 13 GCSEs with nine A*-A grades including A* grades in French, Spanish and Italian.

A further six students scored A* and A grades in all their subjects.

Headmistress Jane Davies said:  “These are extremely pleasing results. Our students can be very proud of their achievements in an increasingly competitive climate. We offer them our congratulations and best wishes as they begin their Sixth Form studies.”

Emma Bunting of St Dunstan's College:

3:48pm

There were more outstanding GCSE results at Sydenham High School.

The school's results were 73 per cent A*/ A grades, with 35 per cent at A* compared to 50 per cent and 23 per cent respectively in the independent sector as a whole.

Headteacher Kathryn Pullen said: “The inspection report at the beginning of the year judged the school as outstanding for providing a first-class education that allows our pupils to be intellectually fulfilled at the same time as offering lively and stimulating enrichment beyond the classroom.

"I am delighted with these results and the way that all our students have achieved their excellent results and maintained a good balance between their social and academic lives.”

Among the exceptional pupils were Elizabeth Treece with a full set of 11 A*s, Ariana Agapiou with 10 A*s and 1 A, Amal Robertson who scored 10 A*s and two As, and Olivia Banton,  Kate Bidmead,  Melissa Danvers and Olivia Muir who each gained eight A* and three As.

Elizabeth Treece finds out she has a full set of 11 A*s:

Sydenham High School pupils Chanell Henry (seven A*s, three As) and Tamara Luther (three A*s, five As and one B) celebrate

3:42pm

Chislehurst’s Beaverwood School achieved its best ever GCSE results.

More than 92 per cent of pupils got five A*- Cs including 70 per cent getting between A*- C in maths and English.

Beaverwood School pupils Hannah Gunter and Jemima Wooley:

3:34pm

The Leigh Technology Academy, Longfield Academy and Wilmington Academy are all secondary schools within the Leigh Academies Trust. Each of these are again celebrating an excellent set of results for all students.

Of the 240 pupils at The Leigh Technology 86 per cent achieved five A* to C grades with 61 per cent gaining five A* to C including English and maths.

Longfield Academy also saw 86 per cent of its 119 students achieve five A* to C grades with 50 per cent gaining five A* to C including English and maths.

Meanwhile, Wilmington Academy had 95 per cent of its pupils achieving five A* to C grades and 58 per cent getting five A* to C including English and maths.

Chief executive Frank Green said: "I am absolutely delighted with the results for all our students at our three secondary academies, each has made very significant progress this year;  we congratulate all the students on their achievement and thank the staff for all their efforts."

3:26pm

Pupils of Beaverwood School in Chislehurst, Kaylee Saint Clair, Doyin Agbonin, Harriet Whittle, all aged 16

3:17pm

Dartford Technology College had another record year after students achieved its best ever results - with 53 per cent gaining five A* to Cs including English and maths and 68 per cent achieving five grade Cs or above.

Students who did particularly well include Zoe Stanley, Kemi Ogunlana, Simran Sandhu, Georgia Lewarne, Anitha Sivakumaran, and Fatmata Lee.

Prinicipal Seamus Murphy said: "These results are a testament to the hard work put in by the students, their families and the staff at DTC. 

"These results show that all the efforts put in over the last year have paid off and the school has reached its target of performing at the same level as the top 25 per cent of schools nationwide."

3:07pm

Headteacher of Deptford Green, Peter Campling, said: “At Deptford Green 221 students took GCSES and 66 per cent got five or more A* to C grades and nearly a third managed an amazing 10 or more A* toC including Tinh Ting He who until last year did not speak any English.

“We are delighted to be one of the top 10 per cent of schools nationwide for the progress students make here and have great things ahead with the new school building and new sixth form opening this September."

3:06pm

For the second year running more than 63 per cent of students were awarded A* or A grades at Dartford Grammar School - with 99 per cent gaining at least one A* to C in a modern foreign language.

Outstanding students include Joshua Abe, Thomas Bridge, Lewis Reilly, Sam Taylor and Matthew Worssam all achieved more than 10 A*s.

Headmaster John Oakes said: "Once again these impressive results represent the hard work and enthusiasm of our outstanding students and the commitment of an exceptional group of teachers."

2:54pm

Students at Kemnal Technology College in Sidcup bucked the national trend for the second time in a week with its set of GCSE results.

Last week Year 13 pupils got into their first choice university but this week it was the turn of the Year 11 students to excel at GCSE level.

More than 90 per cent of students achieved at least five GCSE grades at A*- C level.

Headteacher Christian Markham said:  “These results are a testament to the hard work and total commitment of both students and staff at Kemnal Technology College.”

2:52pm

Trinity School in Belvedere saw 72.5 of students achieve five A* to C grades with 98.8 per cent gaining five A* to G grades including English and maths.

Outstanding students include Cariss Addy with four A*s, four As, one B, one D and a distinction, Hannah Russell who achieved four A* grades, five As, one C, one D and a merit as well as Hayley Crone with two A*, four A, four B, and a Merit grade.

Headteacher Ian Collins said: "We are very pleased with these results which demonstrate the supportive relationship that exists between pupils, parents and staff.

"We look forward to continuing to work with the many pupils who will be returning to join our ever-growing Sixth Form in September."

Charlie Joy and Alex McCann:

Bethany Anderson, Fraser Grant, Georgia Lloyd and Daisy Chapman:

Annie Jarvis, Caris Addy, Kieran Robinson, David Ikejie, Hannah Stapley, Ian Collins (Head), Daisy Chapman, Charlie Mercer and Alexandra Dell

2:20pm

Of the 209 students at Hurstmere School in Sidcup, 84 per cent achieved five A* to C grades and 54 per cent gained five A* to C including English and maths.

Top achievers include Callum Eden who gained six A*s, one A and three Bs as well as Sachin Patel who got three A*s, seven As and three B grades.

Pictured below are William Powell (15), Sachin Patel (16), Callum Eden (16), Matthew Appleton (16) and James Barlow (16)

1:57pm

Bullers Wood School in Chislehurst is another school to report it has achieved its best ever GCSE results.

All of the 217 pupils who took exams achieved at least five A* to C grades, with 86 per cent including English and maths.

Headteacher Nick Cross said: “We are extremely pleased with the performance of all students, whether or not they have secured the highest grades, they have worked very hard.

“I would also like to thank the teachers for all their efforts in helping the students to secure these grades. As ever we now look to build on these results to generate an even better set for next year.”

1:56pm

All 213 pupils at Townley Grammar School in Bexleyheath achieved five or more A* to C grades.

There were 58.57 per cent A*and A grades overall and 85.42 per cent A* to B grades as well as  81.13 per cent achieving the English Baccalaureate.

Outstanding students include Victoria Butterworth with 12 A* grades, Immanuelle Nyamali with 10 A*s and one A and Faye Matthews with 11A*s.

Headteacher Desmond Deehan said: "Congratulations to all our students on their GCSE results. They have made a major contribution to the life of the school over the last five years and thoroughly deserve the recognition for their hard work. I would like to extend my thanks to their hardworking and dedicated teachers who have made it all possible."

Faye Matthews:

Immanuelle Nyamali:

Molly Nickson:

Townley Grammar School pupils:

1:50pm

Pupils at Bromley High School have achieved outstanding GCSE results once again.

A*or A grades were attained by 69 per cent of the girls who sat exams.

1:41pm

Jodie Cummings, Megan Heywood and Kin Yi Chung from the Priory School in Orpington

1:38pm

Some very happy Langley Park School for Girls pupils after receiving their GCSE results:

1:30pm

The opening of envelopes at Plumstead Manor revealed the school's best ever GCSE results, with 83 per cent of pupils gaining five or more grades at A*-C.

There were 23 students who gained eight or more passes at A* or A.

Headteacher Sue Flanagan said “Our girls and all of the staff at Plumstead Manor have been focused and determined to do well and their efforts have paid off. It has been lovely to see so many delighted students and their parents here today, sharing their success.”

1:17pm

All previous records have been broken at Sedgehill School in Lewisham, with 50 per cent of students achieving five A* to C GCSEs including English and maths.

Headteacher Ken Mackenzie said: “At Sedgehill will have a very clear vision and ethos that everyone supports. By working together to build bright futures for all students all staff are driven to ensure that Sedgehill students achieve the best possible results.”

1:12pm

Pupils at Blackfen School in Sidcup have produced the best ever GCSE results for the school.

Of the 211 students, 95 per cent achieved five A* to C grades with 79 per cent gaining five A* to C grades including English and maths - up 13 per cent on last year.

Top performing students include Zoe Bell with five A* and five A grades, Zara Muttur who achieved four A* and six As, Zoe Hughes with four A* and three A grades and Faizah Kassim-Momodu who achieved three A* and eight As.

Headteacher Matthew Brown said: "I know that the students are all very proud of their achievements and it was great to share in their success stories on results day. The outstanding results this year are the culmination of huge dedication and hard work by students, staff and parents.""

1:00pm

The 224 students at Bexley Grammar School in Welling took 2,689 GCSEs with 100 per cent achieving at least five A* to C grades.

Outstanding students include Lucy Dickson and Vanh Minh Lam who both achieved 12 A* grades.

Headmaster John Welsh said: "Despite new styles of assessment at GCSE and the harsher marking of English language exams, our Year 11 students have sustained the high standards expected at Bexley Grammar School and they have put themselves in an excellent position ahead of demanding sixth form courses.

"All the staff here are very proud of your achievements. Well done Year 11."

The year group gained the highest point score per pupil ever achieved at the school - 580 points with the average grade for every exam taken being midway between an A and a B grade.

12:53pm

Once again The Priory School in Orpington has achieved remarkable GCSE results after the success of last week’s A-Level marks.

All 170 students achieved a minimum of 5A*- Cs with three students in particular excelling. Kin Yi Chung achieved 12 A*/ A grades, while Charlie Sheene and Laura Probett both achieved 10 A*/ A grades.

12:52pm

Despite reports of a slight decrease in attainment nationally, pupils at Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill have bucked the trend and achieved the best ever pass rate for the school.

In all, 220 pupils took GCSE or equivalent exams in Year 11 and of these 96 per cent achieved five A* to C grades, 65 per cent achieved five A* to C grades including English and maths.

And 99.5 per cent achieved five A* to G grades.

Headteacher Sunil Chotai said: “We are accustomed to talking in percentages and it is easy to forget that they represent individuals with plans and aspirations for the future.

“We are delighted for all the students who have passed these important examinations, which now provide them with the ideal platform to move on to their next stage of education or training.

“We are very pleased that yet again our results show an improvement on the previous year so that even more pupils will meet the minimum requirement to enable them to stay on at Charles Darwin School to continue their studies at Level 3 in our 'outstanding' sixth form.”

12:47pm

Nice to see some of the school heads thanking the contribution of parents to their GCSE results as well as the performance of pupils and teachers.

I reckon a student's achievements or otherwise at school are as much to do with what happens at home as what happens in the classroom.

Agree?

12:45pm

At the new-look Thomas Tallis in Blackheath it was also a record year. There were 66 per cent of pupils with five or more A* to C grades inclusing English and maths - the highest in the school's history.

A special shout out goes to Nicole Thornton, Lamise Nasr, Yasmin Mahfouz, My Dang, Samet Uysal, Sara Demaili, Kar-Ho Cheung and Ahmed Hussein for their high grades.

Head of school Ken Jones said: "These outstanding results are representative of hard work on the part of the students, well supported by highly skilled teachers and support staff as well as the essential home support necessary to achieve highly.

"I congratulate these young people, who as a result now have significant choices in their continuing education and future careers."

12:43pm

Beths Grammar School in Bexley, is delighted with its 160 Year 11 students after 58 per cent achieved at least five A* to A grades with 100 per cent gaining five A* to C grades.

The students also sat a total of 161 AS Levels and achieved 49 per cent A and B passes – up 13 per cent on last year’s results.

Headteacher James Skinner said: "I am extremely pleased with this year’s results and delighted that our students were realising their potential in achieving their A* and A grades."

Pictured are pupils Nathan Hammond, James Conybear, Kevin De Silva, Daniel Simms, Ben Huggon and Nick Armstrong.

12:40pm

All 136 GCSE students at Newstead Wood School in Orpington passed their exams, with 99.66 per cent of grades at A* to C.

This year Newstead students achieved an average points score of 631.49, the equivalent of nearly 11 A* grades per student, 81 per cent of all full GCSEs were A or A*.

Deputy headteacher Ben Greene said: “All subjects’ results are excellent but they are particularly pleasing in electronics, history, Chinese, Japanese, maths and music where more than 90 per cent of students achieved either A* or A.

“In addition more than 50 per cent of students studying chemistry, electronics, textiles, history, Chinese, Japanese, maths and music achieved A*.

“Congratulations and thanks are also due to our expert specialist staff and to our most supportive parents.”

12:38pm

At Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College there were more than 60 students receiving at least five A* or A grades, eight per cent with five good GCSEs and 73 per cent getting five good GCSEs including English and maths.

In addition, 30 per cent of the students attained A* to C grades in the English Baccalaureate subjects.

Principal Declan Jones said: "Students and staff have worked exceptionally hard this year to achieve this excellent set of results. I am very proud that all our students with their Haberdashers’ passport of qualifications have been well prepared and are able to access post-16 education."

12:38pm

Students at Eltham Foundation School are celebrating after achieving the school’s best ever GCSE results.

An impressive 72 per cent of students achieved five or more A* to C grades including English and maths, up from 48 per cent last year.

On top of that, 26 per cent of students got three or more A* and A grades.

This was Eltham Foundation School’s last set of GCSE results before it re-opens as Harris Academy Greenwich next week.

Chris Tomlinson, executive headteacher, said: "Everyone at the school is absolutely thrilled with these fantastic results which demonstrate that considerable progress is being made in all subjects."

12:37pm

Wilmington Grammar School for Boys is celebrating after 100 per cent of pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades including English and maths.

Headteacher Andy Williamson 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.

"I would in particular like to recognise the contribution of our parents who are so supportive of their son’s education and the work of the school."

James Bevis, Joshua Brown, Chukuebuka Orunta, Jack Pitchers, Milad Rouf, Michael Tennant and Callum Young were delighted with their results after each achieving five or more A* grades.

12:36pm

At St Thomas More in Eltham, 98 per cent gained five or more C grades with 87 per cent of those pupils including English and maths.

Congratulations to Jason Oakes for his 11 A* and two A grades, along with fellow A* pupils Julia Rynkiewicz, Jacinta Treloar, Michal Tereskowski-Kaminski and Christopher Venn.

12:33pm

Mayfield Grammar School pupil Charlotte Cole

Mayfield Grammar School pupils Alice Williams, Kelsey-Mae French and Kerrie Walsh

Mayfield Grammar School pupil Jessica Wright

Mayfield Grammar School pupils Lydia Bailey, Tiffany Spencer and Kirendeep Dosanjh

12:28pm

Congratulations also to Mayfield Grammar School, in Pelham Road, Gravesend, which achieved a 99.86 per cent pass rate with 46.06 per cent gaining A* and A grades.

The school received 79.42 per cent A* to B grades and 95.54 per cent A* to C.

Jessica Wright achieved 12 A* grades while Kerrie Walsh achieved 11 A*s.

A further 16 students achieved all A* and A in their results – Shannon Phillips, Lydia Bailey, Isabelle Sims, Tiffany Spencer, Charlotte Cole, Simram Bahia, Manreet Pama, Adya Sinha, Alice Williams, Louisa Butlin, Kirendeep Dosanjh, Amy Pritchard, Kelsey-Mae French, Dominique Kistan, Victoria Thomas and Chloe Ball.

Headteacher Elaine Wilson said: "We would like to congratulate all of our students on their excellent results."

The school was previously known as Gravesend Grammar School for Girls

12:25pm

St Paul's Academy in Blackheath also bagged record results with 64 per cent getting five or more A* to C grades - an improvement on 54 per cent last year.

And 29 per cent of students got their English Baccalaureate qualification.

Principal Patrick Winston said: "When they started at St. Paul’s this group were, according to government figures, judged as significantly below average yet at the end of their compulsory education they are significantly above average.

"As I say every year, this is the result not only of the students’ hard work but also the dedication of the staff at the academy who go far beyond their remit to ensure that all our young people approach their adult lives with the very best qualifications. "

12:23pm

Here are some pics of Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School pupils celebrating their GCSE results:

12:16pm

Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School is celebrating record GCSE results for the third year in succession, despite facing closure.

There were 53 per cent of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and maths which is a three per cent improvement on last year’s results.

Pupils Peter Nguyen, Lopez Okhiai, Sudesna Shrestha and Jamal Salihu all got 10 A* or A grades, while Sam Mai managed nine in 14 subjects.

Headteacher Barnaby Ash said: “We are delighted that our pupils’ hard work has paid off. One of our main aims is to help our Year 11 pupils achieve their full academic potential and it is very pleasing that for the overwhelming majority of our pupils, this is the case. This will enable the vast majority of pupils to go on to follow their chosen courses at various Sixth Form institutions.”

12:15pm

Not to be outshone by last week’s A-Level results, St Olaves’ boys in Orpington have produced the best ever results in the school’s history.

All of the 119 pupils obtained five grades at A* to C and 96 per cent of the students gained the English Baccalaureate.

Fifteen students gained at least 10 A* grades, with 87.2 per cent of all the school’s grades at A* or A.

The top performer at the school was Timothy Adelani with 11 A* and one A at GCSE and an A* in A-Level Italian and an A in AS-Level French.

Headteacher Aydin Onac said: “Congratulations to all of our students and staff for their hard work and high aspirations. Naturally we are all delighted with these results.”

12:13pm

Forest Hill School pupils have achieved their best GCSE results ever this year.

Of the 228 pupils who sat their exams, 65 per cent have been awarded five A* to C grades including English and Maths, an increase of nine per cent on last year.

A large number of boys achieved 10 to 15 GCSEs at the higher grades, notable among them are Ben Sanbrook-Davies who gained 15, with seven of them at A and A*, and Mark O’Donnell who was awarded 14, with 12 of them at A and A*

Headmaster Steve Brady said: "It is wonderful to have so much to celebrate. The pupils and their teachers have worked so hard for this and we are delighted with our best set of results ever."

12:01pm

Outspoken footballer Joey, sorry Joseph, Barton on Twitter: "GCSE's today, hope everyone got what they needed. If not, you can always negate the inconvenice with plenty of common sense."

11:53am

At Langley Park School for Boys in Beckenham 212 pupils took GCSE exams with a 100 per cent pass rate, with 92.5 per cent at A* to C.

11:36am

Never let it be said that members of boybands are just pretty boys with no brains.

Here is bright spark Zayn Malik from One Direction: "Just found out that GCSE results day is today, not last week aha. Hope you all did well, good luck if you havnt found out yet :) x"

11:25am

London Councils, a body representing local authorities in the capital, says there are alternatives to A-Levels .

11:10am

Some useful advice from the BBC on what to do if you GCSE results are disappointing.

11:01am

Lord Sugar, who has been wishing GCSE students good luck on Twitter, is of course one of the most famous and successful people to leave school with very few qualifications.

10:50am

Local GCSE results starting to come in thick and fast now.

Well, we've got the third school's results at least ...

Hayes School, in Bromley, is celebrating record-breaking GCSE results with two thirds of all exams achieving at least a B grade - 37 per cent of all grades are A or A*.

10:48am

Of course, one option for students post-GCSEs is apprenticeships - a great way to start on a career path, get some on-the-job training and earn money at the same time.

Up to 15,000 apprenticeships vacancies in more than 1,400 job roles will be available to students getting their exam results this summer, according to new data from the National Apprenticeship Service.

Find out more at www.apprenticeships.org.uk

10:45am

Two students at Bromley College celebrate their GCSE results. Well done girls.

10:42am

Everyone's favourite ex-glamour model Katie Price didn't do great at school, and look at her now!

She also says her brother had to resit his exams before ending up with a degree "so there is hope".

10:39am

Olympic weightlifter Zoe Smith, from Abbey Wood:

Good luck to everyone collecting GCSE results today, including my darling sister @YanaSmith9 :)

— @ZoePabloSmith 23 August 2012

10:38am

Gad's Hill School pupils Eleanor Kift, who achieved the equivalent of 15 A to C grades, had more reason than most students to be nervous about receiving her GCSE results.

The 17-year-old’s mum, Louise, was a pupil and head girl at the school in 1975 and her gran, Pauline, was also head girl at the school in 1947.

Headmaster David Craggs said: "It will be interesting to see if, perhaps in the distant future, whether Eleanor will be bringing along her own children and introduce a fourth generation of her family to Gad’s Hill."

10:36am

Gad’s Hill School, in Gads Hill Place, Higham, is celebrating after 90 per cent of its 33 students achieved A* to C grades.

Outstanding pupils include Amy Haycock who achieved the equivalent of 12 A* and A grades,  Emily Schick who gained 11 A* and As, Jake Smith who had 10 A* and As and Hannah Myatt who achieved nine A* and A grades.

Headmaster David Craggs said: "All of our students have done well. I’m glad to see another set of good GCSE results for our pupils who have worked hard over the past few years."

10:34am

And we have another school's results in ...

10:29am

10:25am

Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has questions the purpose of GCSEs.

It says that England is "unusual" in having a school leaving exam at age 16. "Most countries focus on exams when most young people in fact leave school at 17 or 18," it says.

"The system in England looks rather like a leftover from a time when the majority of young people did expect to leave school at 16. Now that the vast majority stay on past 16 to do further qualifications, there must be some question over the role of a set of exams which may signal to some that leaving at 16 is expected, particularly in the context of Government policy to raise the 'education participation age' to 18."

10:24am

There is an interesting report today which shows a big difference between boys and girls in their ambitions for the future.

It reveals that girls are more likely to aspire to be teachers or work in fashion, while boys want to work in IT or engineering.

Both sexes are keen on careers in healthcare, dreaming of working as doctors or nurses.

Boys are more keen than girls on the idea of running a company.

10:22am

It's worth pointing out many famous people didn't exactly excel at school, and they've gone on to do OK for themselves.

In the event of bad results, the solution in the majority of cases will not be to become pop stars or TV hosts but rather to sit retakes and get back on track with reaching your ambitions.

Speaking of ...

10:10am

A lot of people also being rather unkind on Twitter (no surprise), wishing teenagers could luck with their future McDonald's careers among other taunts. Surely students deserve credit for their efforts?

10:05am

10:05am

10:02am

10:00am

9:58am

Girls are still doing much better at GCSEs than boys, although the gap has not widened since last year.

18.9 per cent of boys' entries achieved an A* and A, compared to 25.6 per cent of girls' entries - a percentage gap of 6.7 per cent, the same as last year.

At grades A* to C, girls are pulling away, with 65.4 per cent of boys' entries attaining that level, compared to 73.3 per cent of girls' entries.

9:55am

Why do you think results appear to be slightly down this year? Could it be down to toughening up of marking? Add your comments below.

9:54am

And in the core subjects of English, maths and science there has been a decrease in the proportion of GCSEs awarded at least a C grade, particularly in English.

9:54am

The national picture seems slightly negative this year. The proportion of pupils receiving the top A* and A grades is down from 23.2 per cent to 22.4 per cent.

9:51am

9:47am

Langley Park School for Girls headteacher Dr Anne Hudson said: “I am very proud of the efforts of both students and staff. The outcomes show that aiming high and relentlessly focusing on your goals really does pay."

She added: "Once again, contrary to all the media claims about the move away from academic GCSE subjects, our results in the EBacc courses the government and universities value most now stand at 46 per cent. This puts us in the top one per cent of schools."

9:46am

Beckenham's Langley Park School for Girls has achieved its best ever GCSE results this year, with more than a third of all grades at A* or A.

The vast majority (94 per cent) of students gained five or more A* to C grades and 82 per cent (188 students) gained five or more including English and Maths.

Seventeen girls achieved A* and A grades in every single subject, including Sally Walsh with nine A* and one A grade, and Aleyah Babb-Benjamin and Meghan Williams with eight A* and two A grades.

9:44am

Trying to build up a bit of general election night style tension here. The race to be first with the results has been won. The first constituency, I mean school, in the area to declare its results is ... drum roll ...

Langley Park school for Girls in Beckenham! Well done them, and well done on the results too ...

9:41am

It's being reported that nationally there has been a 0.4 per cent fall in A^ to C grades from last year - the first annual drop in the exam's history apparantely. There were 69.4 per cent of all GCSE exams given A* to C.

9:37am

We also want this page to be a discussion about the GCSE results today. Do you think GCSEs are too easy, or getting easier? Is marking tough enough? Should some subjects count for more than others? Should students’ achievements be questioned every year or should we all just celebrate their success?

9:36am

Are you a student picking up your results today, or a proud parent or a teacher? Tell us your results news in the comments box below or email me

9:35am

Hello and welcome to News Shopper's coverage of GCSE results day. We'll be bringing you news as we get it from schools and colleges across south-east London and north Kent.