THERE were happy faces from staff and students alike at Aldworth school for GCSE results day.

The number of students achieving the top grades has improved on last year, including English which was significantly higher.

Amongst the students pleased with their results is Abigail Crouch, who achieved a 9 in biology and will be studying A-levels in maths, chemistry and physics at Queen Mary's College next year.

When opening her results, she exclaimed: "How did I get a 9 in biology?"

Another happy student was Jake Pearce, who got a raft of 7s, 8s and 9s, and Ellie Walker, who was overwhelmed by her grades, saying they were "amazing I guess!"

63% of pupils achieved a grade 4+ in english and maths, with 82% getting a 4+ in one of the subjects.

Almost 4 in 5 students achieved a 4+ in english, a significant rise from last year.

Talking to the Gazette about the results, Headteacher Denis McCabe said: "I am proud of all our students as they have worked incredibly hard throughout their time at Aldworth School to ensure they have achieved the progress they deserve and are well prepared for their next steps into college.

"Many students have exceeded their target grades; ten achieved at least one grade 9 with a number of them achieving multiple grade 9's."

Deputy Headteacher Gareth Moore's added: "I am really pleased with their english results and their maths results are getting better."

The school were also pleased that Media studies, a class run for the first year, has had good results, with two students achieving a 9.

This puts them in the top 0.5% of the country.

"I think it is entirely down to the students, they have put in a lot of work," said Michael Watkinson, Head of faculty.

"Last year we had an increase in numbers for it and it is getting more and more popular."