THERE was plenty to celebrate on GCSE results’ day with results up and some schools celebrating a record breaking year. See at a glance how your school did, and look out for our eight-page pull out tomorrow with more pictures on Saturday.

ON a day of celebrations, the percentage of pupils gaining maths and English at grade 4 or higher stood at 62.6 per cent, up by 1.3 per cent; the numbers achieving a stronger grade five or better stood at 41 per cent up by 1.2 per cent.

Bolton Council’s director of people, Bernie Brown, said:“Results have improved compared to last year, despite recent reforms which have made GCSEs more challenging. This is a result of the hard work of both our young people and their teachers. I’d like to congratulate all our pupils and wish them well for the future.”

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Christine Wild, said: “Congratulations to all pupils receiving their GCSE results today. Exam time can be very stressful, and they have all put in a lot of work.

“Whether they go on to further education, training or employment, I’d like to wish everyone the very best for the future. I urge anyone who is unsure about their next steps to speak to a careers adviser via Bolton Connexions to discuss the many options available to you. “I would also like to praise the efforts of all our schools and teachers for helping pupils get the most from their education.”

BOLTON SCHOOL

Setting new pass rates, 78 per cent of girls achieved at least ten 9-4, or A*-C grades, 70 per cent of girls came away with at least ten 9-5, or A*-B, grades and 74 per cent achieved at least five 9-7, or A*/A, grades. One hundred per cent of girls achieved at least five 9-4 grades, 99 per cent of grades were in the 9-4 category and the percentage pass at grades 9/8 or A* was 45.8 per cent. Some 82.5 per cent of papers were graded at 6/B or above. There was a 68 per cent pass rate at 9-7 grades and a 46 per cent pass rate at 9-8.

Across the sciences, girls performed particularly well with 71 per cent of all chemistry grades at 9/8, 58 per cent of biology grades at 9/8 and 52 per cent of all physics grades being at 9/8.

Head, Sue Hincks, said: “We are delighted to see so many girls doing so well in achieving their target grades. This is a result of hard work and high levels of motivation on their part as well as the support of teachers and other staff. The girls now have a springboard in to the next stage of their lives.”

The boys achieved the best results in recent years. In the boys’ division have, 97 per cent of grades were in the 9-4 category, up from 95.6 per cent the previous year and at the highest level in recent years.

A third of papers were graded at least 8 or A* and 75.3 per cent were graded at least 6 or B. The percentage of boys achieving ten 9-7 grades was at the highest rate in recent years at 21.5 per cent, up from 18 per cent the previous year.

A near perfect 99.2 per cent of boys achieved at least five 9-4 grades, the highest number in recent years and above the school’s five-year average of 98.6 per cent. The percentage of boys with five 9-6 grades was also up on last year to 83 per cent.

This year’s Y11 pupils enjoyed success in STEM subjects with 26.9 per cent of maths grades, 19.6 per cent of physics grades, 17.9 per cent of chemistry grades and 17 per cent of biology grades all being at the elite 9 grade.

Headmaster Mr Philip Britton said: “As the system moves to numbered grades throughout I am very pleased to see our results are consistent with previous years, with one third of all results at grades 9 and 8 Two boys have nine grade 9 passes, while a dozen have more than half their grades at that elite level. That we can inspire able boys to achieve excellent results is part of what we do well here.”

“Another part is producing well rounded young men, who pursue wide ranging interests. Among the exam results today are those who have represented their country at sport, who have represented the school nationally in debating, who have taken part in drama inside and outside school and who excel in playing musical instruments, in formal orchestras and in bands outside school. They are interesting, able and engaged people and I look forward to the contribution they will make in sixth form “

CANON SLADE

The numbers of young people achieving good grades in English and maths rose by just over six per cent.

Headline figures show that 83.3 per cent of pupils achieved 9-4 in the core subjects while 60.6 per cent achieved the stronger grades — a slight increase on last year.

Acting headteacher David Lever said: “Canon Slade School is celebrating excellent GCSE and Level 2 results again this year. Congratulations to all our Year 11 students whose hard work, dedication and enthusiasm has resulted in these successes. Whilst we celebrate with them and look forward to many of them remaining in the Canon Slade family in our sixth form, we will also miss those who are moving on to other things.

“These results are a testament to the hard work and effort of the students and the support and guidance of parents and teachers alike. We wish all our students success in their future endeavours.”

TURTON SCHOOL

The popular school maintained its strong pass rate with 67 per cent achieving 9-4 grades including English and maths, and 46 per cent achieving the standard at 9-5 — the stronger grades.

Headteacher Sam Gorse said: “As always, it is important to emphasise that while the GCSEs are a strong platform from which students move on to the next stage of their education, the exam results do not define who they are. And I am most proud of who they have become. Staff at Turton have spent time with a year group of fantastic young people, who, we are confident, will go on and make a positive mark in the world.”

SHARPLES SCHOOL

Headteacher Ann Webster said the school celebrated another improvement with 58.3 per cent of young people leaving with 9-5 passes in English and maths, compared to 47 per cent last year and 80.3 per cent at 9-4. Last year that figure stood at 45 per cent.

Mrs Webster said: “This has been another excellent year for Sharples’ GCSE students. We are delighted with our results as they are a testimony to the hard work and effort of our staff and students. The 2019 results continue our positive trend of year on year improvement.“We are proud of the large number of our students who have met or exceeded the targets that have been set for them. Achieving these targets takes much hard work and commitment from our staff and students.“We wish all of our students ongoing success and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their excellent contribution to the life of our school over the last five years.”

BOLTON ST CATHERINE’S ACADEMY

A number of young people were among the best in the country.

Headteacher Rachael Lucas said: “We are delighted with a number of individual results from some of our students this year — putting them in the top three per cent nationally — they have worked incredibly hard and deserve their excellent results.

“We are proud of all our students in what is a pivotal moment in their lives. However, we wish to improve further and have made significant changes to our curriculum for the coming year which will bear fruit for all our students moving forward. We are working incredibly hard to make all the changes necessary to ensure that our students receive the very best in all areas of school life.”

ESSA

Essa Academy is celebrating its best ever GCSE results, with a record-breaking number of students achieving top grades.

The academy has seen a six per cent increase in the number of students achieving grades 4 to 9 in both English and Maths, and a four per cent increase in grades 5 to 9.

A total of 223 grades were in the top-grade bracket of 7-9, including 23 grade 9s, the highest level possible, and 69 grade 8s.

Martin Knowles, Principal of Essa Academy said: “The results are further testimony to the incredible work students, staff and parents/carers have put in over the past five years. These fantastic results create even more opportunities for our students to access further education and secure themselves employment which will contribute to the wealth and prosperity in Bolton.”

ST JAMES’S

Outgoing headteacher Tania Lewyckyj said: “We are delighted with the pupils’ efforts and results this year and the fact that our students have what they need to move to their chosen post 16 college or training course. This shows how a combined effort by pupils, staff and parents can lead to success. In my final year as headteacher of our wonderful school, I am once again very proud of our pupils and staff.”

Catherine Anderson who will take over the headteacher role from September 1sadded: “All our Year 11 students worked hard and we are proud of what they have achieved.

“As the new Headteacher at St James’s I am looking forward to working with our fantastic team of teachers and support staff to ensure every student achieves examination results that they can be really proud of.”

MOUNT ST JOSEPH

Headteacher Alex Devany praised her students and teachers for their hard work through the year. She said: “We’re really pleased with some of the students’ results. They’ve worked really hard to achieve the results they have and the staff have worked really hard to ensure that they reach their full potential here.”

Jai Ashok Ram got two 9s, five 8s, two 6s and an A* in Further Maths.

He said: “I’ve done brilliantly, I’m really happy with myself.

“In Further Maths, I feel like I’ve done really well and I’m proud.

“I’m thinking I’ll try and do either Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering as a career. I’ve got high aspirations.”

HARPER GREEN

The proportion of students who achieved 5 or above in English and Maths has improved. The number of 9s, 8s and 7s achieved by students has also gone up

Headteacher Stephen Gribbon said: “It’s great to see. We’ve got some students who’ve worked incredibly hard and it’s good to see them get their results. We’re about giving them the results to have the opportunity to follow their dreams.” As a school we have gone up in the proportion of students who got 5 or above in English and Maths. English is an area we’re working hard on as a school and we’re really pleased with the big improvements we’ve seen. The number of higher grade passes have increased for another year running.”

WESTHOUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL

The school saw 56 per cent of the students earned a four or above in English and Maths, and 36 per cent achieved a five or above in the same subjects.

Results day coincided with a special occasion for pupil Natalie Rea, who was also celebrating her 16th birthday yesterday. She walked away with 9s in Maths, Chemistry and Physics

The birthday girl will be going to Runshaw College to study Maths, Further Maths and Computer Science.

Ms Rea said: “It’s a great birthday present! It’s been great to see how much I have improved, I am so surprised how well I did in Biology, I worked so hard for it.”

SMITHILLS SCHOOL

Smithills School has seen a huge turnaround from two years ago, when the school was in Special Measures. Headteacher said: “The school is moving onwards and upwards – results, attainment, progress is getting better year on year. Really good luck to all of our Year 11s leaving us this year, you’ve been an absolute credit to the school. Wherever you’re going now, make a success of yourself and your life.”

Will Griffiths, who achieved an incredible 7 grade 9s, said: “I would like to thank all my teachers at Smithills, I’ve had an amazing five years here and I couldn’t have got these results without them.”

KEARSLEY ACADEMY

Students at Kearsley Academy achieved their best ever GCSE results in terms of the percentage of students who have passed both English and Maths.

A total of 65 per cent of students overall achieved a pass in English and maths, an improvement on last year’s results. And 52 per cent of students who achieved a strong pass in both English and maths, which the school said is set to be far higher than national average figures. The percentage of students who achieved five good passes overall, including English and maths, has also risen. Over the past two years the number of students who pass English and Maths has risen by over 20 per cent.

Kim McKee, acting principal, said: “I am really delighted that the hard work and commitment of our wonderful students has been rewarded with these excellent results. It makes their effort and dedication worthwhile, and I would like to thank the staff for their continued passion for ensuring our students succeed”.

UTC BOLTON

There was plenty to celebrate at UTC Bolton with 65 per cent of students achieving a grade 4 or above in maths, 58 per cent gaining a grade 5 or above in English and 100 per cent leaving with a 9-4 in biology, chemistry and physics

Principal, Liam McDaid said: “I am delighted to congratulate students on their GCSE results. I am proud to highlight that our students have achieved particularly well in our specialism subjects including sciences and health and social care, reflecting the high quality specialist curriculum we offer here at UTC Bolton.”

ST JOSEPH’S RC SCHOOL

Students attained 36 grade 9s between them.

Headteacher Tony McCabe said: “It is pleasing to celebrate with those who have worked so hard and achieved beyond their wildest imagination, especially those who have suffered from life limiting illnesses, bereavements and other challenges during their studies. These students are a real credit to themselves and an inspiration to others. Education is life changing and we wish our students well as they use their qualifications to open doors to their future and use their skills and talents for the good of others.”

BOLTON ISLAMIC GIRLS SCHOOL

Standards are being set high at Bolton Islamic Girls School.

At the school 83 per cent of learners achieved five or more 9-4 grades. And 62 per cent of learners achieved five 9-4 grades including English and maths.

Sixty-nine per cent of exams taken resulted in achieved/exceeded expected target grades; 22 per cent of learners achieved a GCSE with a grade 9 and 40 per cent of art students achieved a grade 9. Headteacher Dr Zakia Maqbool said: “Congratulations again to these learners for exemplifying the school ethos and achieving academic and moral excellence.

“Congratulations also to all our dedicated and hard working teaching and support staff.”