Thousands of students across Kent have received their GCSE results.

Nervous pupils were able to pick up their results from 8am this morning.

Scores have been given in a numerical scale, as first introduced in 2017.

The grades are ranked from 1, which is the lowest to 9 as the highest. A standard pass is considered a 4 and a strong pass, a 5.

Students at The Sittingbourne School (TSS) are celebrating today after receiving a range of excellent GCSE and BTEC results.

Standout performers included Dami Agboola who achieved nine GCSES including grade 9s Maths and History.

She also achieved grade 8s in Biology, Chemistry, Computing and Physics.

Speaking after receiving her results, Dami said: “I’m so glad all my hard work paid off. Thank you to so many of my teachers”.

Enry Harris passed all of his GCSEs and in the process achieved grade 9s in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, a grade 8 in Maths and a grade 7 in English.

He said: “I’m speechless. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teachers”.

Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne was full of praise for its pupils following an improvement in the number of students achieving a grade 4 or above in both English and Maths.

Top performers included Bethany who achieved three grade 9s, two grade 8s, one grade 7 and one grade 6.

Headteacher Susie Burden said: “It is always an emotional experience to watch young people open their envelope of results, it is important to recognise the progress they have each made.

“It is wonderful to see them proud of their achievements and getting ready to take their next steps.

“I would like to praise them for their efforts and our staff for all of the support they have given the students throughout their time here.”

Kent College Pembury has achieved the very top GCSE grades with 1 in 10 achieving straight 8’s and 9’s, and a third of all grades at the very top levels 9-7.

Students also achieved the top level 9-7 grades across a range of GCSE subjects including History (72%), Music (71%), Drama (68%) and Food Technology (93%).

Headteacher Katrina Handford said: “This Kent College cohort has once again shown all the qualities and characteristics required to excel across the board.

“They have shown particular resilience following the Covid-19 pandemic, combining hard work with enthusiasm, enabling them to face their exams with confidence and achieve great success.

Not only have pupils achieved fantastic grades, but they have scored over and above expectation, based on their national predicted grades. Each and every pupil deserves to feel very proud of their magnificent achievements.”

Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School (TWGGS) is also celebrating with Year 11 pupils and staff following another excellent set of GCSE results.

The school was delighted to report that 20% of pupils achieved at least one grade 9, while 63% of all TWGGS’ exam entries were awarded the top 9-7 grades.

Amongst the very highest achievers this year, two pupils successfully secured a full sweep of grade 9s, with a total of 16 pupils being awarded all 8s and 9s.

Deputy headteacher Dr Sophie Blanch said: “We are so proud of the hard work, focus and determination shown by all our pupils receiving results today.

“The vast majority will return to take up their places in the TWGGS’ Sixth Form and we wish them every success as they look to embrace the new challenges and opportunities that await them.”

At Rochester Grammar School the current cohort of students has outperformed previous years, with just over 62% of students achieving a grade 7 or higher in their examinations.

The school saw particular success in the core subjects with 69% of students achieving a grade 7 and above in Maths, 75% in Biology and Chemistry, 65% in Physics and more than 70% achieving a grade 7 in an English GCSE.

Principal Clare Brinklow said: “I am incredibly proud of our Year 11 students who have achieved an amazing set of results through their hard work and dedication.

“I would also like to thank our staff for their expertise and tireless efforts and all our families for their support of the school.”

Students and staff are celebrating at The Victory Academy on Magpie Hall Road, Chatham after pupils received their GCSE grades.

Standout achievers included Anjola Olukunle who achieved grade 9s in English Language, English Literature, Chemistry and Art; Esil Ahmet who achieved grade 9s in English Literature, Biology, History and Business, and Tomasz Machut who achieved grade 9s in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Engineering.

Invicta Grammar School in Maidstone is also delighted with an “exceptional” set of results which saw 172 students achieve 5 or more 9 – 7 grades.

It also recorded 111 of its students as achieving a set of at least eight grades at 7, 8 or 9. Of these, 58 students achieved grades 9-7 in 10 or more GCSEs.

Headteacher Van Beales said: “We are immensely proud of our students, and our staff, for their relentless dedication and hard work in achieving these well-deserved results.

“The examination outcomes reflect their commitment and determination.

“Our impressive GCSE results, along with our outstanding A Level achievements, continue to make Invicta the top choice for secondary education in Maidstone.”

Valley Park School in Maidstone was also toasting the success of its students following a strong showing, particularly in arts subjects.

The school saw an increase from the previous year in the number of students achieving 4+ or 5+ in both English and Maths, as well as strong outcomes in Art & Design, Ceramics, Graphics, Textiles and Photography where all students passed the subject and passed well, many a grade or two above their target.

Similarly, for Music and Dance, outcomes were very impressive and the school achieved 100% pass rate.

"We are thrilled to see the hard work and dedication of our pupils and staff reflected in these excellent GCSE outcomes," said David Jones, headteacher at Valley Park School.

“These results demonstrate the school's relentless commitment to providing a high-quality education that empowers our young people to reach their full potential.”

Walderslade and Greenacre school students in Medway were also celebrating their achievements despite facing what the Trust said was “extraordinary challenges”.

Changes this year had included the appointment of a new headteacher, a restructuring of the leadership team, a change of trust, and the transition from single-sex education to a unified partnership.

Amidst these challenges, the hard work of students paid off with grades broadly in line with the school’s usual results, and a notable increase in the percentage of students achieving grades 5+ in both English and Maths.

Some outstanding performances included Abby Blunden with strong passes across the board, including one Grade 8, Charlie Smith with one Grade 7 and two Grade 6s, and Jasmin Jasard who achieved a strong score across the board, including five Grade 7s.

Headteacher Louise Campbell said: “We are beginning to see green shoots of progress this year, and I am confident that this positive trend will continue.

“Many of our students will be returning to us for PGW Sixth Form, and we wish continued success to those moving on to colleges, other sixth forms, or apprenticeships.”

St Simon Stock Catholic School, also in Maidstone, praised its pupils for their results with 70% of its students achieving a standard pass of grade 4 or above in English and Maths, and 72% of pupils achieving five or more GCSE grades 9-4.

Headteacher Andrea Denny said: “I would like to congratulate all Stocky students on their fantastic GCSE results this year.

“I am full of admiration for the way in which they have approached their studies and for the strength of character, determination and resilience they have shown.”

Students and staff at Holcombe Grammar School located in Letchworth Avenue, Chatham recorded improvements on its previous years’ performance with more than 50 grades ay Grade 9, the highest grade possible.

Head teacher Lee Preston, said: “These are a fantastic set of results, which our amazing students have richly deserved after years of considerable effort.”

Benenden School achieved some of its strongest on record.

An outstanding 84 per cent of all grades were at Levels 9-7 – the highest seen at Benenden for more than a decade, excluding in 2021 and 2022 when pandemic exam measures were still in place.

Overall, 42 per cent of all the boarding school’s grades were at Level 9, while 64 per cent were Levels 9-8.

In her first official act as Benenden’s new Headmistress, Rachel Bailey said: “I would like to congratulate every single member of the year group for their outstanding achievements.

“Results like this only come from enormous levels of hard work: primarily from the girls themselves but also from the teachers and the fabulous support network available to students at Benenden, whether in academic support or through the extensive wellbeing provision in House.”

The Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs was celebrating some strong performances this morning.

This included Ronnie Puttick who achieved grade 9 in English Language and History, grade 9-9 in Combined Science, grade 8 in English Literature and Maths and distinction* grades in Dance, Sport and Travel & Tourism.

Another high-flyer, Lottie Rayfield achieved grade 9 in History, grade 8 in English Language, English Literature, grade 8-7 in Combined Science, grade 7 in Maths, grade 5 in Spanish, and distinction* grades in Music and Business.

Headteacher Warren Smith said: “It is wonderful to be able to congratulate so many pupils on their achievements this year.

“These results are the product of five years of hard work from our pupils, their parents, our teachers and support staff.

“The strength of their performance reflects the learning culture we have worked so hard to build at CDS. We send all of our pupils our very best wishes for their next steps.”

Meopham Secondary School paid tribute to the dedication and hard work of its students and their teachers following publication of the results.

Standout achievers included Tudor Nechita, with impressive grades in English Literature 7, English 9, History 8, Maths 8, Business Level 2 Distinction, and Science 88; Hayden Kumar with English 7, Maths 8, and an impressive Science grade of 98; and Nathaniel Waul, who achieved success in English Literature 8, Geography 7, Maths 7, Science 87, and a Distinction in Sport.

Northfleet School for Girls was also celebrating the success of its pupils with 15 students achieving an average of grade 7 (A*/A) or above across all their subjects.

Standout performers included Naisha Kashap who achieved Grade 9 in English Literature, 9 in Maths, 9-9 in Science, 9 in History, 8 in French and Distinction* in Health and Social Care.

Chloe Croxford followed up her top grades in history and business with an 8 in English Literature, 8 in English Language, 8-8 in Science, 7 in Maths and 7 in Art.

Fellow student Aalyha Arshad achieved 9-8 in Science, 9 in Urdu, Distinction* in Health and Social Care, 8 in Geography, 7 in Spanish, 7 in Maths, and 7 in English Literature.

The Royal Harbour Academy in Ramsgate built on the school’s previous GCSE success with 49% of students achieving a Level 4 grade or better in their English exams, while 41% of students secured a Level 4 grade or above in Maths.

There were lots of wonderful successes and some excellent performances, including Eva Cannon who achieved 10 GCSEs including 4 grade 7s and a grade 8 in English Literature.

She said: “I’m really happy with my results. I know I worked really hard, but I know that my teachers also helped me to achieve these grades.”

Headteacher Simon Pullen said: “It is another year of real success at The Royal Harbour Academy.

“I am proud of how hard both our students and staff have worked to achieve another year of great results.”

Radnor House, an indepedent school in Sevenoaks has achieved its best ever results since the change in grading was introduced in 2017.

The science department particularly shone with 100% of students achieving 9-7 grades in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Pupil Gavin celebrated four nines and five 8s, saying: "I feel really good, I’m really proud of myself for what I’ve done in my GCSEs."

Alina Sementsova, a Ukrainian student who came to the UK three years ago and joined the school in Year 9, also celebrated exam success.

She achieved 7s and 8s in her GCSE subjects including English, which the school said was an incredible feat given she spoke limited English when she first arrived.

Newly appointed head teacher David Paton said: “This is an outstanding set of results and a testament to the focus and determination of the entire year group, as well as their hardworking teachers over many years.

“Let’s not forget that this cohort was probably most adversely affected by COVID, with their Key Stage 3 and 4 education facing disruption and uncertainty.”

St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School was also pleased with its pupils results with nearly half (49.7%) of students achieving five grades 9-4, and more than half (50.8% achieving a pass grade 4 in both English and Maths.

And more than a quarter of students (26.8%) achieved atleast a grade 5 in both English and Maths.

Headteacher Dympna Lennon said: “I am so pleased to be able to celebrate the achievement of this year group.

“As a year group, they have worked well as a team and were able to collectively achieve some great results despite many challenges.

“These outcomes are proof of the wonderful working relationships between our excellent staff, parents and students.”

Last week, older teens received their A-level results across schools in the county.

This years figures, published by England’s exams regulator Ofqual, have sparked fresh concerns among social mobility experts about inequalities in the education system and widening attainment gaps between rich and poor youngsters.

Nationally, almost half of entries from private schools scored at least a grade 7 this year, compared to around a fifth of those from both comprehensive schools and academies.

London and north-east England continue to have the highest and lowest proportion of GCSE entries awarded grade 7/A or above in England, but the gap between the regions has narrowed for the first time in nearly a decade.

The gap this year at grade 7/A between south-east England (24.7%) and north-east England (17.8%) is 6.9 points, up slightly from 6.8 points in 2023 but lower than 7.1 points in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

The data, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland shows that nearly one in four (24.7%) of girls’ GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade7/A compared to almost a fifth of boys’ entries (19.0%) – a 5.7 percentage point gap.

This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since 2009, when it was also 5.7 points.

Last year, girls led boys by 5.8 percentage points (24.9% girls, 19.1% boys).

Many will get the results they need to do whatever it is they want to do next.

But, for those who have not got what they had expected there is plenty of help at hand.

Assistant principal at EKC Ashford College Joanna Brown said: “Congratulations to everybody on getting through your exams.

“Whatever your results are, there are options throughout Kent and people here to support you.

“Don’t just jump into the first thing you see, really think about what you want to do for the next year or two and what that might lead you onto as a career because you want to enjoy what you’re doing at sixth form or college as well.”

Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), is also encouraging people to consider alternatives to A Levels.

She said: “A Levels will be an excellent next step for many of them, but continuing full-time academic learning doesn’t work for everybody.

“There are now over 700 apprenticeships and 20 T Levels, which all involve substantial on-the-job training. More and more young people are choosing this route into exciting careers every year.”

To look up apprenticeship and T Level options click here.

The government’s education hub blog also offers advice to disappointed pupils.

It recommends you speak to your school or college as they may be flexible on entry requirements, or they can advise on whether re-sitting while studying for your next qualifications is a possibility.

These exams can be taken in Summer 2025, or for English Language and Maths, in Autumn.

And, throughout today the kmfm Hit List GCSE Surgery will be on air to help students navigate their next steps.

The special show will run from 7am to 10pm, featuring a panel of industry experts who can advise and support your choices for the future.