Pupils at Alnwick school praised for GCSE results

In addition, 23% of all grades awarded were 7-9, 9 being the highest. A grade 7 is the equivalent to an A in the old system.

A spokesman said: “There were some terrific individual performances, not just in terms of high outcomes, but also in terms of progress made over the course of study.”

As with last year, following the cancellation of exams due to the pandemic, grades were awarded through a process of teacher assessed grades, approved and awarded by the exam boards.

The government is not publishing performance data for any schools or colleges this year due to the varying impact of the pandemic.

Delighted co-headteachers Alan Rogers and James Wilson told the Gazette: “Results achieved today by these students are ones that should be celebrated.

"The previous two years have not been easy for students, and studying for exams that were then cancelled was very unsettling for many.

"However, the work ethic of students, coupled with the processes and systems used by staff, has meant that students achieved a positive set of results. We look forward to welcoming many of these students back to school in September, and wish those departing for college and apprenticeships the very best of luck for the future."

Applications for DCHS sixth form are still open for students new to the school who wish to study there in September. They should email [email protected] to request a virtual prospectus.

Nationally, a whopping 28.9% of all entries were awarded a level 7. That is up from just 20.8% two years ago, when exams were last held.

Girls did better than boys, with 33.4 per cent of girls given top marks, compared with 24.4 per cent of boys.

Some 3,606 students in England received straight 9s, up from just 837 two years ago, and 64 per cent of these were girls.

Spanish and geography are increasing in popularity, with the number taking Spanish increasing by 4.7 per cent compared to 2020, and geography 4.2 per cent.

The most popular GCSE was the Double Science Award, with 896,138 entries, followed by maths and English.