Schools across the Harrogate district are handing out GCSE results to their Year 11 students this morning.

After a tumultuous two years in their education, the 15 and 16-year-olds sat formal exams for the first time earlier in the summer.

Today’s results will confirm whether they can go on to their planned next steps in education or training.

Keep checking our live blog for the latest news and results from schools across the Harrogate district.

5.10pm Harrogate Grammar School celebrates results

HGS headteacher Neil Renton praised students and teachers for their hard work over the last two years.

92% of students at the school secured grades 9 to 4 in both English and maths. Almost half of all grades were at 7, 8 or 9, with students in biology, chemistry, computer science, product design, music, and physics achieving between 20% and 35% of grades at the top level 9.

Mr Renton said:

“These exceptional results reflect the tenacity of our students and their own unique story during the pandemic. We would like to thank our teachers, who have worked tirelessly during such an exceptional time, and fully appreciate the support that parents have provided during their children’s time with us. It is this partnership between home and school which continues to be the foundation for our success at HGS.”

Stan Gambrill

Alesha Ndikumana

Mia Felstead and Baha Sabet

5.07pm Outwood Academy in Ripon celebrates ‘inspirational’ students

4.01pm Photos: Rossett School

Another selection of happy faces on GCSE results day – this time from Rossett School.

George Papadopoullos and Matthew Jarvis

Patrick Fleming

Yael and Matan Braunstein with their parents and, right, Rossett headteacher Helen Woodcock

3.44pm Young actress heads for stage school after GCSE results

Talented young actress Izzy Kirby will be heading to the prestigious Tring Park Performing Arts School in London after collecting her exam results today.

The Ripon Grammar School boarding student has her sights set on becoming a stage star, and scored a 9, three 8s, a 7 and five 6s to send her there.

Izzy has already starred as Tracy Turnblad in Upstage Academy’s hit musical Hairspray at Harrogate Theatre, as well as taking the role of Babette in her school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She said:

“I am so happy with my results, especially my 9 in art and 8 in music. I sing but I don’t play an instrument so music was a challenge to begin with, but I have learnt so much.

“I am so excited now to be pursuing my dream of a career as an actress and learning all the skills required for performing in musical theatre, hopefully eventually on the West End and, if I am very lucky, Broadway.

“My dream roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia, Velma in Chicago or the title role of Mary Poppins in the musical.”

Having trained with Upstage for the last four years, Izzy was offered places with three other drama schools but chose Tring as her preferred destination. Its past pupils include actress Lily James, singer Ella Henderson, and Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.

3.28pm Photos: Ashville College

Harriet Sammon with her parents

Luca Issacs

Lucy Parkinson

Seb Bate

3.21pm Adult learners also collecting results today

Adult learners across North Yorkshire have also been collecting their GCSE results today.

North Yorkshire County Council’s adult learning and skills service offers English and maths courses to help adults improve their key skills.

In maths, 85% of students achieved grade 9-4 and in English language, the results were 100% at grade 4 or above.

North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said: “Congratulations to all young people and adult learners in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“Students, adult learners and teaching staff should be very proud of their achievements today. I would especially like to thank our schools, colleges and adult learning providers for their outstanding commitment and support to this cohort of students during what has been a very difficult time.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education and skills, added:

“Huge congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire receiving their GCSE and equivalent results today.

“I have been very impressed by their resilience, hard work and commitment to their studies throughout the ongoing challenges brought by pandemic, their achievements today are well deserved. Good luck in whatever you choose to do next and well done!”

3.07pm ‘Success for everyone’ at Rossett results day

The headteacher of Rossett School in Harrogate has highlighted the achievements of all students, not just those scoring the top grades.

Helen Woodcock said the “many, many individual success stories” should all be recognised in the wake of two years of covid disruption.

She added:

“Each student has had their own individual experience of working towards their GCSEs through the pandemic.

“They have had to be self-disciplined, deal with anxieties, and rebuild their resilience. Some have also had to navigate bereavement, personal medical challenges and changes in family circumstances.

“And yet, they returned to school and exam preparation with real commitment for study and for being involved in wider activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, clubs and competitions.

“We are unbelievably proud of them all.”

Although it has not released statistics, the school said its results are “significantly higher” than the national average across all measures, including the number of grades 9-7 awarded to its students.

Among those to have scored particularly well were Yael Braunstein and George Papadopoullos, who achieved 13 grade 9s and 10 grade 9s respectively. The results – some of which were awarded in previous years, place them in the top 0.1% in the country.

Yael, whose younger brother Matan has just achieved a grade 8 in GCSE Latin at the end of year 9, has received a scholarship to study maths, history, chemistry and further maths.

Patrick Fleming achieved grades 9 and 8 across all his subjects and will return to Rossett’s sixth form next month to study maths, physics, computer science and further maths. Lucie Cliff, meanwhile, will use her four grade 9s, four 8s and one 6 to study sciences and psychology as she aims to get a place on a medical degree.

Deputy head Peter Saunders, who is in charge of quality of education, said:

“This year’s fantastic results fulfil the school’s aim of ‘success for everyone’, which we achieve through the strength of our tailored curriculum that allows students to develop their own individual strengths and talents.

“We are absolutely delighted for all our students. Their achievements in the light of the particular impact of covid on their studies makes their results today all the more remarkable.”

2.44pm Photos: Harrogate Ladies’ College

A few more photos now – these from Harrogate Ladies’ College, where students were greeted by delighted principal Sylvia Brett.

Ilene Andisheh-Tadbir and Beatrice Nolan

Principal Sylvia Brett with delighted GCSE students

2.39pm Top results shared by students at Borougbridge High School

Two students shared the honours of top results at Boroughbridge High School today.

Toby Naish and Melody Neale each achieved eight grade 9s and one grade 8 in their GCSE results.

Headteacher Kathryn Stephenson said:

“It has been an absolute pleasure to congratulate students today on their excellent achievements.

“We are incredibly proud of the way in which they have approached the challenges of the last couple of years, showing great resilience throughout.”

2.12pm Strong performance in key subjects at St John Fisher

The core subjects of English and maths showed great results at St John Fisher Catholic High School today.

Across the year group, 86% of students secured at least grade 4 in both subjects.

The school said the results showed the students’ “diligence, commitment and tenacity”. Headteacher Steve Mort said:

“It is a privilege to work with young people who have such high aspirations, and it is wonderful to see them excelling academically as well as witnessing their spiritual and personal growth during their time with us.

“We now look forward to welcoming the majority of them back into our excellent Associated Sixth Form. For those students who are moving on to other post -16 establishments we wish them the very best with their future endeavours and thank them for their contributions to life at St John Fisher school.

“My thanks to our dedicated teaching and support staff. They have worked incredibly hard, under unprecedented circumstances, to enable our students to progress on to their post-16 studies.

“The support of our parents and carers has been crucial too. They have worked in close partnership with the school to enable us to provide high quality learning and pastoral care during the pandemic.”

St John Fisher student Archie Gray, who has been in the Leeds United first team squad while studying for his GCSEs, is also reported to have done well. The club posted on its Twitter account today:

https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1562787833261133824?s=20&t=_905is3jWHLGkJ6O1TCq3Q

2.04pm Top results at Harrogate’s Ashville College

More than half of the students at Ashville College achieved grades 9 to 7 in today’s results.

A third of them achieved the top two grades, while the school said its ‘value added’ measure of progress over the last two years showed a score of 0.8 per grade, per subject.

Headteacher Rhiannon Wilkinson said:

“We are delighted with the excellent results our Year 11 pupils attained, and I congratulate them on their success.

“They rose admirably to the challenges of the last two years, and their hard work and determination has certainly paid off with over half our results attaining the top grades of 9 to 7.

“Ashville pupils, families and staff are celebrating the fact that in 2022 we have seen the best ever progress made by GCSE pupils in GCSE examinations.”

Among those scoring highly was Annie Meehan, one of just 188 students across the country to achieve eleven 9s, who will go on to the school’s sixth form as she prepares for a medical degree.

Seb Bate scored nine 9s and two 8s, Lucy Parkinson got nine 9s alongside and 8 and a 7, Ethan Marshall achieved eight 9s, two 8s and a 7, Anna Jackson got four 9s, five 8s and a 7 and Luca Issacs scored six 9s, three 8s and a 7.

For Harriet Sammon, who has dyslexia, support from the school’s learning support team helped to achieve a 9, four 8s, two 7s and a 6, along with a value added score of just over two grades per subject. She said:

“They have been amazing and thanks to them I never gave up. I’m really pleased with my results and can’t wait to start sixth form.”

Lucy added:

“I’m absolutely delighted with my results, and one has come as a real shock – In my mocks I got a 6 in physics and I have passed it with a 9!

“I’m really looking forward to my A levels, studying the subjects I love in more depth, and then hopefully going on to university.”

1.38pm Pictures: Results day at St Aidan’s

Some photographs of delighted students collecting their results at St Aidan’s today.

1.24pm Results at St Aidan’s ‘over and above’ expectations

Students at St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate are celebrating their GCSE results today.

The school said its pupils’ progress was “over and above expectations” and that they had achieved “remarkably well” in today’s results.

Acting headteacher Chris Ives said:

”These results are testament to the fantastic group of students we have had in Year 11. For the last two years they have not only had to embrace the demands of their GCSE courses, but also handle the uncertainty and pressures of the pandemic.

“We are immensely proud of each and every one of them. They have been there and supported one another through a great deal.

“After not being able to have students pick up their results up in person for the last two years, it is truly amazing to see them celebrate together as a community today.

“Our staff have also given so much of their time to help and support these young people – using their knowledge and expertise in their subjects, and providing assurance and guidance through an examination process that these students will not have seen their peers go through over the last few years.

“The support we have all felt from our parents and carers has also been incredibly heartening.”

The school has not released any statistics publicly, but said a “large number” of students would return to sixth form in September.

12.11pm Top grades set young farmer on path to future career

A young farmer has scored top grades in his GCSE results despite juggling the challenges of school with his work on a local farm.

Despite getting up before dawn and going to bed long after sunset, Will Jarvis managed to achieve nine grade 9s and two 8s.

The Roecliffe teenager, who attends Ripon Grammar School, is also a keen Yorkshire Academy rugby player and trombone player in the school brass ensemble. He said:

“I choose to work long hours, alongside my school life, because I have always had a huge passion to educate people where their food comes from, as well as produce the food they are about to eat.

“Farming is more of a way of life than a career, whether it be through the constant work required to keep livestock fed, watered, bedded, and healthy and happy too, or the working of land to prepare, plant, and maintain healthy growth of crops that will then be used the following year.

“I love my job because it varies hugely, no two days are the same, even if I am driving the same tractor or working with the same cows and calves.”

Will plans to return to school in September to study A levels in biology, chemistry, maths and geography, before taking a gap year to work as a cattle rancher in Australia then silaging and large-scale harvesting in New Zealand and America, before beginning university.

11.28am Hundreds of top grades for Ripon Grammar School students

More than 600 top grades have been handed to students at Ripon Grammar School today.

The GCSE students achieved a total of 601 grades 8 and 9 in their results, with 69.9% of all grades being 9-7 and 94.5% being 9-5 – equivalent to a B or above under the old system.

Among the highest achieving were five students who achieved 10 or more grade 9s.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:

“We are delighted for our GCSE students who have worked so hard during two years of disrupted education and I would like to congratulate also the teaching staff who supported students through the lockdowns with an effective online programme which left them well-placed for exams this summer.”

11.11am Nidderdale High School sends students on to next steps in education

Nidderdale High School is singing the praises of its students, who have overcome the challenges of the last few years to achieve their GCSE and BTEC results.

Across all subjects, a third of students achieved at least one top grade of 9, 8 or 7.

Among those celebrating top results are Jeevan Shergill, whose 11 results were all graded 9-7, and Martha Wood who achieved 10 out of 11 results at grades 9-7.

Ethan May had nine 9-7 grades, while Elspeth Raw and Dylan Sawyer both achieved eight grades 9-7. All four will now study A levels in local sixth forms.

Across the year group, students are also going on to sports scholarships, apprenticeships and college places.

Headteacher Kath Jordan said:

“It is difficult to put into words just how challenging the past few years have been for this year group, from choosing their options during live online lessons, to returning to school with limited movement around the building, weekly lateral flow tests, disruption to internal mock exams and periods of absence for students and staff.

“This coupled with the uncertainty about what would be tested, how much information would be released to support preparation and how exams would be graded, has required the very highest levels of determination, resilience, flexibility and commitment from students.

“It has also seen exceptional levels of support from staff and families. We are proud of everything our school community has done to overcome the many obstacles and ensure success for our students and help them to take their next steps towards their future studies and careers.

“Many of our Year 11s have been role models for the kindness and respect that is so important to who we are as a school. We hope that they have felt that both when things are going right and in times of difficulty, we have been there for them and now we wish them all the very best for their future.”

9.52am Promising athlete achieves top grades despite dad’s cancer diagnosis

A high-flying athlete whose father was diagnosed with cancer six weeks before he sat his GCSEs is celebrating top results today.

Isaac Henson achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and three 7s, having also competed in the Yorkshire track and field championships while preparing for his exams.

His father Ant was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April, just before the exam period began at Ripon Grammar School. Isaac said:

“My dad being poorly really put things in perspective for me, and spending many hours a week training for athletics has made me determined to do my best.

“But it’s been hard work and I could not have done this without the dedication of my teachers. They are passionate about their subjects, which really helps.”

Isaac was crowned triple Yorkshire champion in shot put, discus and 100m hurdles, winning silver in javelin and pole vaulting too. Since sitting the exams, he has won the Northern regional javelin competition, as well as silvers in pole vault and discus.

He now plans to study A levels in art, biology, chemistry and maths, before applying for sporting scholarships to study chemistry in the USA.

Mum Fiona said:

“We are over the moon with all his achievements and are so proud. We can’t thank the school enough for all their help and guidance.”

Alongside his studies, Isaac continues with his sports, including being selected for the School Games national finals at Loughborough University next week, with the national pole vault and octathlon championships later this year.

Having been the North Yorkshire U15 indoor pentathlon champion, he’s now working towards competing in the decathlon.

Although he only took up pole vaulting recently, he is currently placed sixth in the country in his age group.

Isaac, who received his results on his phone while working at a local cattery and kennels, added:

“I can’t thank my English teacher Miss Levhan enough for helping me get grade 7s as I struggle with it so much; she has been a fantastic teacher.

‘Chemistry is my favourite subject as my teacher Dr Grime has drummed into me that it’s the best subject in the world!”

9.48am Top results for Harrogate Ladies’ College pupils

Results at Harrogate Ladies’ College today are the best achieved by the school since the new GCSE grading system began five years ago.

The number of top grades of 9-7 – equivalent to A**-A in the old system – increased to 64%, with 24% of all grades achieving the highest possible score of 9. In six subject areas, all of the grades were 9-7.

School principal Sylvia Brett said:

“Once again these are a fantastic set of results which reflect our talented and hard-working pupils.

“These are the highest set of grades we have seen since the new national grades were introduced 5 years ago, and we have incredible success across a huge range of subjects including languages, creative arts and sciences.

“I was particularly pleased to see how well the girls have performed in the sciences, but equally that pupils who opted for languages and humanities have performed so well.

“They should all be very proud of their success today.”

Among those celebrating is Ilene Andisheh-Tadbir, who achieved seven grade 9s and four grade 8s, and Beatrice Nolan who achieved five grade 9s, three 8s and a 7.

Emily Walker scored five grade 9s, two 8s and three 7s, while Harrogate’s Emily Reid achieve five grade 8s and four 7s.

Ilene said:

“I’m thrilled with my results and feel overjoyed at the thought of coming back to school in a few weeks to start my A levels and then think about university choices. I’m really, really pleased with the results.”

Beatrice added:

“I’m really delighted with today’s results and want to thank everyone at school who supported me and now I can’t wait to start the next chapter at school and think about what my future holds.”

Ripon Grammar School student Izzy Kirby has won a place at a leading musical theatre college.

The 16-year-old was among the youngest students to gain a place on the highly acclaimed three-year musical theatre course at SLP (Studios La Pointe) College in Leeds.

The course, equivalent to a higher education degree, usually attracts 18-year-olds who have already achieved a foundation course qualification in technique and performance.

Izzy, who will play the role of Babette in next month’s RGS production of Beauty and the Beast, has worked hard to reach the required entry level, beginning her training at The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts in Darlington seven years ago.

For the past four years, she has attended Ripon’s Upstage Academy outside school and will play the starring role of Tracy in the performing arts school’s summer production of Hairspray.

Izzy, said:

“My first love is acting but I know that training as an all-round performer is crucial nowadays and a place at SLP will be a great grounding for a career in this industry.”

Her audition consisted of solo singing, dance classes and acting workshops.

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She was expecting to hear back two-weeks later, but received an email the next day offering her a place on the three-year diploma course.

Izzy, who is currently working towards her London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art grades 6, 7 and 8 acting qualifications, says her dream roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia, Velma in Chicago or the title role of Mary Poppins in the musical.

As well as receiving one-to-one singing lessons at SLP, she will have the opportunity to work with guest teachers, directors and choreographers.

Recent graduates have gone on to work in musicals including Wicked, Beautiful, The Lion King and Bat Out of Hell.