There were smiles all round at Saffron Walden County High this morning as pupils enjoyed a “stellar” set of GCSE results.

Saffron Walden Reporter: From left, Elen Butler, 16, Florence Pulfer, 16, Phoebe Starbuck, 16, and Kate Elbourn, 16, all from Saffron Walden.From left, Elen Butler, 16, Florence Pulfer, 16, Phoebe Starbuck, 16, and Kate Elbourn, 16, all from Saffron Walden. (Image: Archant)

More than a third of students achieved at least five A*/A grades and 43 pupils got 10 or more A*/A grades.

Nationally, more students got A*-C grades compared to 2013 but overall the pass rate fell for the second year running. There had been concerns that changes to the exam system would affect results.

The County High had 83 per cent of pupils achieving five A*-C grades. This was just shy of its 2013 performance of 85 per cent.

Deputy headteacher Jen Sims said: “These results ensure that virtually all our students will be able to go on to their chosen post-16 path, with many staying on into County High’s sixth form.

Saffron Walden Reporter: Charlotte Witney and her mum Claire.Charlotte Witney and her mum Claire. (Image: Archant)

“Many aspects of these results stand out, but I was especially pleased to see the remarkable performance of our most able students in achieving their targeted A and A* grades.”

The top performer was John Busher, who received 11 A*s to add to the A grade he was awarded in his AS level classics last week. Charlotte Witney got 10 A*s and two As, while Annabel Crawshaw-Brown and Matthew Barrett both gained 10 A*s and one A.

Overall, 34 per cent of students achieved at least five A*/As, an improvement on 2013’s performance, with 83 per cent earning five A*-C grades.

In total, 38 per cent of entries were A*/A and 84 per cent were C or above.

Miss Sims added: “It is wonderful that the hard work and determination of our students and their teachers has been rewarded with some excellent results.

“We are delighted that, once again, over a third of our students have achieved at least five A*/A grades and an impressive 43 students gained 10 or more A*/A grades.

“This makes it a stellar year for the County High.”

Nationally, the proportion of GCSE exams awarded at least a C has gone up, with 68.8 per cent of entries scoring A*-C, up 0.7 percentage points on last year.

For the third year running the proportion of entries awarded A* has fallen, with 6.7 per cent achieving the highest grade, a dip from 6.8 per cent last year.

The A*-G pass rate is also down 0.3 percentage points, from 98.8 per cent in 2013 to 98.5 per cent.

• For more reaction on the GCSE results, check back on the Reporter’s website and pick up a copy of next week’s paper.