Words and pictures by Alan Watkins, Jamie Bullen, Rachel Hovenden, Harry Low and Nick Johnson

Students across Gravesham and Dartford were celebrating great GCSE results yet again.

Nearly a fifth of the students at the Leigh Technology Academy hit gold as the school recorded its best ever GCSE results.

Gold in the GCSEs is five or more A or A* passes.

Seven students went even better, recording 12 A passes including five or more A*s.

In all, 95% of students got five or more A* - C passes.

One pupil - David White - recorded 10 A* and two As - as 18% of students achieved the coveted five A and A* passes.

Pete Finnegan, the academy’s principal, said: “The Leigh community is ecstatic about what our students have achieved. The Leigh has a culture which inspires every student and gets the very best out of each one.
“These results are the culmination of much effort by a talented group of people. Students, staff and parents really have worked in true partnership and taken attainment to new heights.”

He summed it up as “a very proud day for us all”.

He said: “These results maintain The Leigh’s position in the top 10% of schools in the country.”

The increasingly important academic passes being encouraged by the government saw 57% of students achieve at least five A*-C including English and mathematics. It was an 8% improvement on 2010.

Twenty students at Gravesend Grammar School for Girls achieved all A* or A passes this year.

It’s the last year the school will appear on exam sheets. From September 1, it becomes the Mayfield Grammar School.

More than half the students obtained A* or A and 99.25 per cent achieved 5 A* to C grades.

The boys at Gravesend Grammar School were “ecstatic” and “elated” after nearly half of them got five A* and A grades.

Eric Wong , 16, got 10 A*s, and said: “I am ecstatic and overjoyed. I worked really hard for them.”

Charlie Hooper , 16, got 8 A*s, 2As and a B. He said: “I got A*s in everything I am studying next year.

“It’s great to have that confidence and I look forward to doing them.”

The school in Church Walk, Gravesend, saw 99.4% of its students get A* to C grades, with 47% getting five A*s and A grades – 15% got 10 A* and A grades.

Head teacher Geoff Wybar said: “This lot have done well.

“I am very happy and pleased for all the students and their families that all their hard work has paid off.”

Staff and pupils enjoyed a record-breaking GCSE results day at St George’s C of E School, achieving their best ever results.

A total of 58% of students got five A* - C grades including English and maths which is a 12% improvement on the previous year.

Overall, there was an improvement of 15% for students who got five A* - C grades overall with 88%.

Lorna Jackson opened her envelope to see she got one A*, seven As, one B and two Cs.

She said: “I was shaking when I opened my results but I’m really happy. I didn’t expect to get as many as I did.”

James Connold, of Knockhall Road, Greenhithe was delighted with his five A* and nine As.

He added: “I am so happy, just over the moon. I could not believe I got an A in English.”

Matthew Munro, who works at the school in Meadow Road, Gravesend, said: “This endorses what we have been saying about the school. The school has risen sharply and now acts as a model for other schools who want to improve.”

Head teacher Anne Southgate said she was delighted with the improvement.

Teenager Chloe Wheeler had more to celebrate than most after bagging a massive 16 A* and As.

Staff at Gad’s Hill School, Higham, believe Chloe, of Darby Gardens, Higham, may have some of the best individual results in the UK.

Other students who deserve a pat on the back include Emma Shove who got 12 A* and As and Josef Boronki who notched up 11 A* and As.

Overall, there was a 100% pass rate for those recording at least five GCSEs and 96% of students achieved eight or more A* to C grades in an impressive year for the school.

Headmaster David Craggs said: "Chloe’s, Emma’s and Josef’s results were absolutely outstanding.

"Having students with top grades in all subject categories is an indicator that we have a dedicated staff and students who have a positive attitude to work and are prepared to give all that it takes to be successful.

"We expect the majority of our students to go on to further education and wish them all well in their future studies.

"I am very proud of them."

Northfleet Technical College had their best-ever results.

One teacher said: "We have done well - in fact, particularly well - this year.

"The students are very pleased - as they should be."

Almost half - 45% of students - achieved five A* to C grades including English and math.

It was 8% better than last year.

The school is one of a consortium of Gravesham schools that has decided to delay the release of detailed results until they are all collated by Kent County Council.

At Northfleet School for Girls, extra lessons had paid off.

Head teacher Julie Wilson said: "Most of our young people worked hard - and now they have achieved.

"They have got great results."

They include an unspecified number who got A* and A grades in their exams.

The school will release its figures as part of a consortium of Gravesham secondaries.

Mrs Wilson said: "This is the occasion to be proud of all students who worked determinedly to achieve their goals."

It was a record-breaking year for students at Longfield Academy.

There were some exceptional results by individuals.

They included three A*, six As, two Bs and a C by Kaputo Mazokera, nine As and four Bs by Charlotte Roberts, and eight As and two Bs by Ethan Bonthron.

Overall 98% achieved five or more A* - Cs, 40% including maths and English.

Academy principals Simon Beamish, Anne Davis and Neil Willis spent the morning congratulating students, and praising parents.

They said in a joint statement: "Particularly impressive was the high number of students receiving the very highest grades at GCSE. In total 20% of stuydents achieved 3 A* - A grades."

Records also tumbled at Thamesview School in Thong Lane, Gravesend, as this year’s students recorded the school’s best ever results.

This year, 36 % of students achieved five A* - C grades including English and maths while 80 % achieved five A* - C grades overall.

Shakirah Bankole discovered she got four A*s, four As and four Cs.
She said: “I’m really glad. I’ve worked hard and I’m very happy with what I got.”

Oriana Bevan was due to take her GCSE exams next year but was fast tracked by the school to sit them this year instead.

The 15-year-old secured nine Bs and three Cs and will now split her time between the school and the sixth form at St John’s Catholic Comprehensive in Rochester Road.

She said: “I was really nervous. I didn’t want to come in because of my nerves and I always get worried by exams. If I failed I would have to retake next year so I’m delighted with these results.”

Head teacher Rhiannon Hughes said: “These are the best results in the school’s history. Targets are going up and up and we are still reaching those expectations. This is a reward for both the students and the staff.”

The head teacher at Swan Valley Community School said he was “so proud” of his students after they received their results.

The school in Southfleet Road, Swanscombe, saw 30% of youngsters get 10 or more A*-C grades, while 97% got five A* to G grades.

Head teacher Nigel Jones said: “I am very proud of the efforts that my staff and students and their parents and carers have put in.

“I am so proud of my students.

“Despite an increase in pupils by 25%, we’ve sustained the good results from last year.”

The long wait was over for students across Dartford as they received their GCSE results on Thursday morning.

At Dartford Grammar School for Girls, students achieved a 95% overall GCSE pass rate with 99% gaining five grades A*-C including maths and English.

The school also saw more students than ever before achieve at least three A* or A grades with three gaining straight A*s and a further 18 gaining straight As.

Head teacher Jane Wheatley, who retires after today’s results and 11 years in charge, said: “I’m very pleased – these are a very good set of results.

“It’s a good time to go with a set of results like this.”

Megan Richold, 16, of Tower Road, Dartford, is returning to sixth form to study A-levels after landing eight A*s and two As. She said: “I’m in shock – I can’t quite believe it yet.

“It’s just lots of letters on a page – I think my mum is more emotional than me at the moment.

“It’s hard to describe the feeling really. It’s fantastic, beyond what I thought I could have done.”

Sally Stoddart, 16, of Portman Close, Bexley, is one of the three pupils to gain straight A*s and will also return next month to start her A-levels.
She said: “I’m really, really happy. It feels like all the hard work has really paid off.

“I want to go to vet school so I needed all the A*s really.”

At Dartford Technology College some students’ GCSE results were among the best ever seen at the school.

Head teacher Trish Burleigh retired the same day after 13 years in charge.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted with the results. We do offer a traditional curriculum and in this school and we are very pleased with the results.”

Star pupil Amber Beach, 16, of Hawley Road, Dartford, achieved 5 A*s, eight As and four Bs and will go on to take A-levels at the school.

She said: “My whole world has just been turned upside down - I’m speechless.

“My heart is racing – I do not know what to do. My mum is probably going to faint.

“I’ll probably have a GCSE party to celebrate.”

Gloria Abiola, 16, of Joyce Green Lane, Dartford, will be going to Dartford Grammar Schools for Boys to study the international baccalaureate after gaining one A*, seven As and two Bs.

She said: “I’m really happy as I did better than I thought I would. I like to thank the teachers here for their help and inspiration they have given to all of us.

“I was really nervous when I opened my results so I’m glad it’s all over.”

At Wilmington Grammar School for Boys 95% of students achieved the gold standard of five A*-C grades.

More than a dozen students recorded 10 A*s or As while every year 10 student, except one, taking a maths or English GCSE a year early, passed.

Head teacher Andy Williamson said: “I’m really delighted with the results. Sometimes people forget about the personal gains in confidence that students achieve with results like these.

“Right now I feel that giving this generation as much confidence as possible about themselves and their future is what this country needs.”

Erik Meliak, 16, of Parsons Lane, Wilmington, gained 12 A*s and three As.

He said: “I know people use the phrase gob smacked but I genuinely can’t speak.”

At Dartford Grammar School for Boys the results were better than ever before with every single year 11 student achieving at least five grades between A* and C including maths and English.

More than two thirds of students gained either an A or A* while 99.7% passed all subjects with a grade of C or above. Each student studies two languages to GCSE level.

Head teacher John Oakes said: "The GCSE results achieved this year by our hard-working year 11 students and their committed and enthusiastic teachers have been quite remarkable.

"When success in modern foreign languages nationally seems to be in free fall, the beacon of Dartford Grammar School as a centre of excellence for languages continues to be at the core of our national curriculum."

Thomas Cooke, 16, Princes, Dartford, achieved 10 A* and three A grades and will go on to the school’s sixth form.

He said: "I’m elated. It felt like a massive pressure released off my shoulders because I was very nervous.

"I’m hoping to go on to do medicine," he added.

Max Renna, 16, gained seven A*s and seven As.

He said: "I’m ecstatic. It was a mix of emotions because you want to get the right results.

"I was taken aback and I had to take a second glance. I’m still trying to comprehend them."

Every student at Wilmington Grammar School for Girls gained at least five A* - C GCSEs.

In addition a quarter of year 11s gained at least eight A or A* grades.

Head teacher Maggie Bolton said: "I congratulate our students who have once again achieved so highly - many of our students performed superbly."

Rebecca Williams, 16, will return for sixth form after a haul of seven A*s, three As and a B.

She said: "I’m really pleased. I rang my mum who was screaming at work. I really worked hard for these results."

Laura Oduguwa, 16, gained A*s in all but two of her GCSEs.

She said: "I was relieved because I was really nervous when opening my results."

For the county picture, click here.