Pupils at Alton School are celebrating an excellent set of GCSE results.

Despite the challenges of getting back to GCSE examinations, pupils and teachers are delighted that their hard work has paid off in such style.

Overall results were significantly up on 2019, with 59 per cent of pupils awarded only the highest 9-7 grades – more than double the national average of 26.3 per cent.

Seventeen per cent of pupils achieved grade 9 in all their exams, while for 98.5 per cent of pupils all their results were between grades 9 and 4.

Even more pleasing is the progress pupils have made, with each pupil achieving on average one grade higher per GCSE than predicted.

High grades were awarded across the whole curriculum, including science, history, geography, languages, art and music. In English and mathematics, pupils produced outstanding results well above the national average.

Seventeen subjects had a 100 per cent pass rate (grades 4 and above), including English language and mathematics, with well over half seeing only the highest 9-7 grades achieved.