Hundreds of students across Flintshire celebrated after receiving their final GCSE results.

The proportion of higher grade passes (A*-C) across the county, has outperformed national figures, with students performing particularly well in science subjects.

The proportion of grades across all subjects in Wales is 61.6 per cent which is 1.2 per cent lower than last year.

Cllr Ian Roberts, cabinet member for education and youth, said: "On behalf of Flintshire County Council, I would like to congratulate all our pupils on their GCSE results. Once again our pupils have performed well and achieved high standards in their external examinations.

"I would also like to express our thanks to all the staff in schools who have worked so hard to enable their students’ success and to all the parents and carers who have provided support and encouragement to their children."

CASTELL ALUN HIGH SCHOOL, HOPE

The school saw the best set of results in its history.

Graham Hughes, headteacher, said the higher-grade pass rate in all subjects, including English Language and mathematics was extremely impressive.

He added: “The Castell Alun team is proud of each and every one of our young people.

“As well as academic success, we’ve got a lot of Year 11 students who are set up with great apprenticeships this year.

“We’re a school that’s always looking for continuous improvement and we do this by making sure that every individual gets exactly what they need for their future.”

ALUN SCHOOL, MOLD

Over 75 per cent of GCSE English Language and maths results were grade C or above and 49 students at the school are celebrating five or more A*/A grades.

Jane Cooper, headteacher, said: “I would like to congratulate all of our students and their current and former teachers on these outstanding results.”

Matthew Hall was the highest achiever at the school, with eight A* grades and two A’s.

He said: “I’m a bit surprised but very happy. I wasn’t expecting to do as well as that. It has been quite stressful, but I think it’s worth it in the end.”

CONNAH’S QUAY HIGH SCHOOL

The high school is not only celebrating an improvement on GCSE results, but also an improvement on all the Key Performance measures.

A spokesman for the school said their highest achievers in Year 11 all gained 15 GCSE’s above grade C and some A*/A’s.

Bethan and Lindsay Morris gained 29 A/A* between them, Georgia Mansell (11A/A*), Chloe Roberts (10A/A*), Logan Shepherd (9A/A*), Declan McHugh (7A/A*) and Luke Edison (6A/A*).

In addition, the enrichment programme has enabled success for 11 learners who have gained A grades at A-Level in years nine, ten and eleven.

Dyfan Jarvis, head of year 11, said: “We are very pleased with the overall GCSE results.”

ST RICHARD GWYN, FLINT

Students at the Flint school have been celebrating record results this year across a wide range of traditional subjects and the more recently added Skills Challenge Certificate.

The school was particularly pleased with the number of students achieving five or more A*/A grades which was the highest the school has ever achieved.

Paul Heitzman, headteacher, said: “As a school we have worked hard to support and challenge our students to achieve at the very highest levels.

“This summer’s results can be enjoyed by the whole school community. The overall aim is for St Richard Gwyn to be recognised as an outstanding school as soon as possible.”

YSGOL MAES GARMON

Bronwen Hughes, headteacher, said against the backdrop of new specifications and assessment methods, the GCSE performance was the highest ever recorded in the history of the school.

The vast majority will be returning to the school to study A-Levels in September.

As a welsh medium school, all subjects are studied through the language and the GSCE English grades are amongst the highest, showing students are bilingual which Mrs Hughes said is an important skill for employment prospects.

She added: “These excellent results are due to the hard work and dedication of students and staff and are a firm foundation for them to move on to the next stage of their education or training.

“I would like to congratulate our students, thank their parents for their support and praise the efforts of the teaching and pastoral staff.”

HAWARDEN HIGH SCHOOL

The school is celebrating a successful results day which staff say shows the positive achievements of students of all abilities and backgrounds.

A spokesman for the school said as the Year 11 cohort leave the school, the examination passes continues the school’s tradition of good results.

Simon Budgen, headteacher, paid tribute to all students who have worked hard particularly in a changing landscape of qualifications in Wales, adding: “It is particularly pleasing this year to see so many pupils achieving gold standard of five A*-C grades and therefore gaining passport for entry into our brand new Sixth Form or go on to employment/training.”

Hawarden High School's highest achiever was Abbie Williams with 12 A* and 1A.

YSGOL TREFFYNNON, HOLYWELL

John Weir, headteacher, said he is pleased to see the results as the school continues its journey towards excellence.

Notable subject performances include business studies, Welsh GCSE, Polish GCSE and, in particular, English Literature GCSE, which achieved 100 per cent A*- C.

He added: “We congratulate all our students on their achievements and wish them every success as they move into the next stage of their education.”

FLINT HIGH SCHOOL

The school is celebrating a significant increase in the highest grades.

Jim Connelly, headteacher, said he is extremely pleased with the strong GCSE results and it is great to see a higher proportion of students gaining top grades.

He added: “These results are testament to the hard work of all the students and staff and I would also like to thank parents and families once again for their continued support.”

Welsh Baccalaureate results were also particularly high this year.

ELFED HIGH SCHOOL, BUCKLEY

Elfed High School is celebrating record breaking results with outcomes having increased in all areas.

Alistair Stubbs, headteacher, said this year’s outcomes have the ‘wow factor’ and all students worked hard during their time at school.

He added: “We are normally in a position where we recognise outstanding individual performances at this point of the year, but we have so many pupils this year achieving at the highest level across all subjects that this is not possible.

“They have truly been an outstanding cohort and their achievements will continue to inspire future years to come.”

ARGOED HIGH SCHOOL, MOLD

Pupils at Argoed high school also celebrated their successes and headteacher, Paul Smith, said he is pleased with the improvement in important STEM subjects.

He added: “We are very proud of the work and results achieved by our pupils and would like to thank our staff and parents for their support.”

Every pupil achieved at least five GCSE’s and Mr Smith said: “I wish them all the best of luck in their future.”

ST DAVID’S HIGH SCHOOL, SALTNEY

The school is particularly pleased with the many students who achieved top grades across a range of subjects including history, media studies and English Literature.

Craig Burns, headteacher, said: “Our students leave the school as rounded, caring and kind individuals who are ready to make a difference to the world around them.”