20
Aug
LIVE: Harrogate students celebrate GCSE results
Today (August 20), thousands of teenagers across the Harrogate district will be receiving their much-anticipated GCSE results.
Students will receive the results of their GCSE, BTEC, and other level 2 qualifications, which they sat in May and June of this year.
The 1-9 grading system was introduced in 2017, 9 being the highest available result for a GCSE certificate. A grade 4 is required to pass, whereas a grade 5 is seen as a 'strong pass'.
Nationally, the pass rate fell slightly for the fifth year in a row to 67.3% (down from 67.4% last year), but the proportion of students receiving top grades marginally increased to 22% (up from 21.9%).
The Stray Ferret will update this page as we receive updates from the Harrogate area secondary schools. We reported on the district's A-level results last week.
Congratulations to all pupils receiving their results today, and to parents and staff who supported them through their exams.
3.30pm Ashville praises pupils for "excellent" set of grades
Ashville has praised pupils from its GCSE Class of 2026 for their “excellent” set of grades.
The cohort will be the first to experience Six @ Ashville, a new-look sixth form centre offering a "unique and reimagined experience it offers, tailored to open up increasingly varied pathways to young people".
Among those receiving their grades this morning was Ciara Nixon, who added GCSE academic success to her achievements onstage and on the sports field. She was crowned Ashville’s Young Actor of the Year earlier this year after playing a lead role in the school’s production of Sister Act, and represented the school in both Hockey and Netball.
Also receiving her results was Natalie Wong. Wong is a talented musician who played alongside Dr Blanc Chun-Pong Wan, a former Ashville pupil and world-renowned classical pianist, in a Masterclass earlier this year.
A quartet of students who won academic scholarships ahead of their GCSE years, as a result of great work and progress at Ashville in Years 7 - 9, were rewarded for their hard work with excellent results. These students were Bella Precious, Oliver McAllister, Max Sochart and Lily Ross.
Headteacher Rhiannon Wilkinson said:
Our whole school community is thrilled to congratulate our Year 11 cohort on their fantastic GCSE results today. Every success has been well-deserved and we are so proud of what these pupils have achieved both in and out of the classroom. They can now focus on the future and the global opportunities that lie ahead.
This success is never a solo journey and everyone at Ashville would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our first-rate teaching and support staff. Excellent results like today’s aren’t achieved in isolation and they are a testament to the teamwork that exists between pupils, staff and parents.
Ashville students show off their GCSE results.
2.30pm Duchy College heralds "outstanding STEM results"
Duchy College (formerly Harrogate Ladies' College) pupils were celebrating the best 9-7 grade percentage since 2023, and outstanding STEM GCSE results this morning.
Half of all grades were at 9-7 – the highest number in four years – while 80% of grades in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Further Maths were 9-7.
The school has a strong focus on STEM education, with 53% of A Level pupils going on to study STEM courses at university – over double the national average of female applications in 2025.
Pupils studying languages also performed well, with 70% of grades at 9-7, including a 100% 9-7 percentage in German.
Over 70% of pupils outperformed their baseline predicted grades, which for Principal, Joanna Fox, highlights excellent progress. She said:
Our pupils have worked hard and shown dedication and commitment to achieve these fantastic results.
As a largely non-selective school, we are incredibly proud of the progress our pupils make. Their achievements reflect their hard work, alongside the expertise, commitment and dedication of our outstanding teachers.
These pupils will be part of history as they join the first ever Duchy College Sixth Form cohort in September, when we welcome boys into our senior school
Students Rose and Tilly celebrate their results.
12.15pm: National fell running champion celebrates top GCSE results
Yorkshire athletics star, and RGS pupil Angus Millar has proved he’s as strong in the classroom as he is on the hills.
Millar, who was crowned British Under-18 Inter-Counties Fell Running champion earlier this year, secured an impressive tally of ten grade 9's and two grade 7's.
The aspiring veterinary surgeon from Nidderdale has successfully balanced his demanding exam schedule with racing almost every weekend for Ripon Runners.
Angus credits disciplined routines and boarding school life for helping him stay on track, saying:
I think I’ve managed to juggle my running and revising pretty well.
[boarding] has been good because I can head out for a run and then get straight back to work or boarding activities.
Looking ahead, Angus is set to return to sixth form to study biology, chemistry, physics and possibly maths, with ambitions of pursuing veterinary medicine at university.
On the sporting front, he’s targeting further national titles and ultimately hopes to represent England in fell running - a goal that now looks increasingly within reach.
Fell running champion Angus received 10 top grades.
12pm: Results celebrated at Boroughbridge High School
The headteacher of Boroughbridge High School, Kathryn Stephenson, said:
Our staff have thoroughly enjoyed working with the class of 2026 and we are incredibly proud of them.
We are delighted that their hard work, ambition and resilience is reflected in their excellent achievements and that they are moving on to a wide range of ambitious destinations.
Phoebe Addison, who achieved ten GCSEs including three grade 9s and four grade 8s, said that she was thrilled with her results and thanked the staff for all the support she had received. She is looking forward to studying A Levels at York College.
11.30am: Ripon Grammar's Man City star celebrates results off the pitch
Ripon Grammar pupil and Manchester City Women U21 player Lottie Day is celebrating a fantastic set of GCSE results.
Lottie showed that her talents extend both on and off the pitch, after receiving four 9s, three 8s, one 7 and one 6.
The 16-year-old has had to balance the pressures of studying for her GCSEs with life as one of the country’s most exciting young football prospects, juggling lessons and revision with training camps, matches and worldwide travel.
As a result, she has missed as many as three days a week of school over the past year.
Having recently signed a two-year contract with Manchester City Women Under-21s, over the past two years she has represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level and played for Sheffield United Women.
Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:
Lottie has shown exceptional commitment, resilience and maturity in balancing the demands of elite sport with her education.
We are incredibly proud of everything she has achieved, both academically and on the football pitch, and we wish her every success as she embarks on this exciting new chapter with Manchester City.
Earlier this year she was named Player of the Match on her England Under-16 debut after helping her side beat Denmark before representing her country at the prestigious Mondial Montaigu tournament in France.
Lottie said:
I’m really pleased with my results. It hasn’t always been easy balancing football and school, but all the hard work has paid off.
Proud father Kevin and mum Lucy praised both their daughter and Ripon Grammar School for helping her manage the challenge, saying:
We’re incredibly proud of Lottie. She has worked so hard, not only to develop as a footballer but also to make sure she achieved the GCSE results she wanted.
Man City star Lottie celebrates her results with her parents.
10.30am: Ripon Grammar students "on cloud nine"
Ripon Grammar School has recorded one of its highest proportions of top grades in recent years, with almost one in five grades awarded being a grade 9.
Overall, the school received 485 grades 9-8 among the cohort of 128 students opening their results this morning.
58.4% of all grades were at grades 9-7, while 92.5% were at grades 9-5.
Four star pupils celebrated achieving 10 top grades each. The talented students are Angus Millar from Nidderdale, and Tom Charlton, Aiden Jolly, and Joel Buckley, all from Ripon.
National fell running champion Angus achieved ten grade 9s alongside two grade 7s.
Tom, who aims to study astrophysics at university, and Aiden, who hopes to become an engineer, gained ten grade 9s and a grade 8, while aspiring doctor Joel achieved ten grade 9s and a grade 7.
Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:
My congratulations go to all our students on these excellent GCSE results, which are the culmination of five years of hard work, commitment and academic endeavour. We are particularly proud of the exceptional number of grade 9s achieved this year.
I would like to congratulate every member of Year 11 on their results. I would also like to thank our dedicated staff and the support of parents and families.
The 'Fab Four' RGS quartet who received 10 grade 9s each.
10am: Harrogate High School celebrates "sustained progress"
Harrogate High School says that this year's results reflect "sustained progress", and that they have seen continued improvements in results across a number of subject areas.
The school pointed to the extra-curricular academic programmes which have benefitted students in their exams, such as the Brilliant Club's Scholars Programme, which helped students develop their critical thinking skills, and encouraged them to be aspirational in their preparations for future study.
Headteacher Sukhraj Gill said:
We are enormously proud of every student receiving results today. These outcomes reflect much more than grades. They represent resilience, ambition and personal growth. As an inclusive school at the heart of our community, we are committed to ensuring that every young person feels valued, belongs, and has the opportunity to succeed.
Whether our students are progressing to further education, apprenticeships or employment, we celebrate every achievement and every destination, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.
The school also underlined its emphasis on careers education, ensuring students move on to "meaningful destinations" whether it be further education, employment, or an apprenticeship.
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