RAIN failed to dampen the spirits of Portishead teenagers as they collected their GCSE results.

North Somerset Times: Gordano GCSE pupils Sinead Golding and Lewis CheethamGordano GCSE pupils Sinead Golding and Lewis Cheetham (Image: Archant)

Gordano School is once again celebrating an outstanding set of results, which this year includes the best set of maths grades in the school’s history.

In a year where results have been forecast to be more turbulent across the country, 77.6 per cent of students achieved five or more passes at C grade or above and 67 per cent hit the five A*-C including English and maths measure.

For the first time maths results surpassed the 80 per cent threshold at C grade or above. More than a quarter of the year group also qualified for the English Baccalaureate, which rewards students who achieve passes at C grade and above in English, maths, sciences, modern languages and either history or geography.

With a 99 per cent overall pass rate, once again it was a strong year for top performers with 34 pupils achieving eight plus A* and A grades.

Some of the top results included Helen Fairs, who achieved 11 A*s and one A grade, Cecile Andersen and Lewis Gilbert each achieved nine A*s and two A grades, while Lewis Cheetham and Sinead Golding were both able to count eight A*s and three A grades. Lewis’ success was all the more remarkable as he had spent several weeks in hospital prior to his exams.

Headteacher Gary Lewis, said: “This has been another very successful year for us with nearly a quarter of our results at A* and A grades. I am also glad that our students have achieved well across the board and not just at the top.

“We have seen a real step change in the difficulty of GCSEs this year, particularly in English and science, and I am very relieved to see our results rise in all key measures against a background of complexity in the national picture.”