GCSE Results: Students at Harborough schools celebrate results

Freya Tansy and Beth Wilson are happy with their results at Robert Smyth Academy.

Welland Park Academy Principal Julie McBrearty said she was "delighted" with the school's first GCSE results, and pleased there was high attainment at the school across all curriculum subjects.

"It reflects the commitment of our students and staff" she said.

Across the town at Robert Smyth Academy, there was another year of good GCSE results, with successful students six per cent above the national average at English and 12 per cent above at maths.

Principal Dan Cleary said: "‘I am pleased for the students who have worked hard to secure these grades and thankful to the staff for their efforts."

Top-performing students at Welland Park included Callum Renwick, Joe Harrison, Abigail Reeves, Alice Skinner, Huw Chadwick, Niamh Arthur, Harvey Lloyd Williams and Ruairidh Maclean.

Among Robert Smyth's highest performing students this year were Molly Barrow, Colin Lopes, Ailsa McDonald, Lucy Newlyn, Ishani Patel, Connor Pickering and James Watkins.

"Most improved" student at Welland Park was a delighted - and slightly tearful - Chloe Barfield, from Market Harborough.

Charlie Power (left) and Nathan Baykut discuss their results at Welland Park Academy, Market Harborough.

"I can't believe it," she said, as she gazed again at her results, all of which were better than she expected. "I just want to cry. I can't really talk properly, I'm so shocked."

She's off to Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College in Leicester to do sciences at A-level.

Nathan Baykut may well be one of the few people in the country who has grade 9s in both Turkish and Maths. Certainly he's one of the last ones to do it.

"You can't even do Turkish at GCSE now" said Nathan, whose father is Turkish.

Nathan's going to Loughborough College in September, to do space engineering.

Over at Robert Smyth, Colin Lopez has another unusual combination of GCSEs, with good grades in history, English literature, Spanish and Portuguese.

"I'm pleased with the results, definitely - especially the history," said Colin, who lived in Portugal until he was nine.

He'll be doing Spanish, history and sociology A-levels at Robert Smyth.

Lucy Newlyn was happy and relieved at a fine set of GCSEs, with high marks across the board. "They're pretty good," she said, modestly. "I'm happy."

Next term she'll be at Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College in Leicester, studying English language and ancient history.