Just a week after A-level students collected their results, it's now time for GCSEs.

Pupils in Canterbury, Whitstable, Faversham and Herne Bay have been heading into school this morning to find out how they did in their exams.

Among the top performers is Nick Brown, from Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, who managed to score straight 9s across all of his nine subjects.

Whitstable School pupil Megan Chatwin bagged three 7s, two 8s and a six.

“I cried happy tears when I opened my results,” the 16-year-old said. “I was shocked - I didn’t think they were my grades.”

Maths results at Archbishop's School were up 15% from last year, a result hailed as "excellent" by head teacher David Elliot.

At the Canterbury Academy, Jordan Gillmore - Millwall's under-18 goalkeeper - has bagged himself a professional scholarship with the club.

But it's not just GCSE results out today - those who chose BTEC options are also picking up that important envelope.

These young people will then begin a new chapter of their lives, either at sixth form, college or on a work training scheme.

Numbered grading system

More GCSE subjects are being graded using the number system this year, with 9 being the top score and 1 the lowest.

This has been phased in since 2017 to replace the previous A* to G grades.

Starting with English and maths, the new number system is now being used for almost all GCSE subjects.

Emma Jo will be on kmfm's The Hit List from 7pm tonight for a special GCSE Results Surgery.

Students from Canterbury College and Broadstairs College, as well as experts and careers advisers will be discussing what options are available to those picking up their results today.

To see how pupils in other parts of Kent did, head to our county-wide live blog

News from our universities, local primary and secondary schools including Ofsted inspections and league tables can be found here

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury