Hundreds of teenagers across the district are picking up their A-level results today, with a record increase in the number of top grades.

It has been a nervous wait for the students who have had to deal with two years of interrupted schooling due to the pandemic.

They have endured months of home schooling and, after exams were cancelled, they are once again relying on teachers' assessment to determine their grades.

And this year, the proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high.

In total, more than two in five (44.8%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer – up by 6.3 percentage points on last year when 38.5% achieved the top grades.

Overall, the proportion of entries awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 19.1% – the highest since the top grade was first introduced in 2010.

In Canterbury, the hard work of students at Barton Court Grammar School paid off, with a raft of top results.

Head teacher Jonathan Hopkins said: “We are delighted that so many of our students have achieved grades that are enabling them to progress to university or secure high quality employment opportunities.

"As a year group our Year 13 students were both talented and hard-working but were not able to sit their final exams after another lockdown was announced in January.

"Instead students had to work with the additional pressure of knowing that they had to evidence standards for their teachers over a long period of time and not just in the exam hall at the end of their course.

"We are delighted that just over 70% of the grades for the 2021 cohort were at A*-B."

Mr Hopkins also paid tribute to staff who worked "tirelessly" during the pandemic to deliver lessons online and support pupils remotely.

A total of 14 students out of 105 were awarded three or more A*/Distinction* grades in their subjects, including Ella Askew, George Bull, Lara Corke, Sophie Daniel, Grace Gibbens, Fleur Kimbell, Molly Kennett, Elijah Mancini, Sidonie Marshall-Joy, Anthony Ng, Jonathan Race, Muhammad Rahman and Tobia Sturtz.

At Simon Langton Boys, head teacher Ken Moffat said he was confident his students had achieved the grades their hard work this year has merited.

Regarding the outcry over grade inflation, Mr Moffat says students may actually be receiving the grades they deserve rather than having these limited by quotas, as in previous years.

He added: "How fair or accurate is a system that pre-determines how many A grades can be awarded in any given year?

"I hope that this year’s experience gives us the courage to look closely at why we have three profit making organisations awarding A-level and GCSE results.

"Especially as I’ve not yet had any clear indication from the exam boards how much of a rebate we will get this year considering we have done all the work for them. £150,000 is a lot of money to pay to have your exams marked."

Meanwhile, at Herne Bay High more than 50% of pupils have had their places at universities across the country confirmed this morning.

"After such a difficult 18 months, the pupils thoroughly deserve the opportunities they have earned"

Head teacher Jon Boyes described the school's results as "very strong".

"They have not been inflated and are a true representation of our students' performance," he said.

"The results line up in a similar way to last year's and those the year before.

"After such a difficult 18 months, the pupils thoroughly deserve the opportunities they have earned, and I'm so pleased they are able to progress on to their next destination. I wish every one of them the very best for the future."

In a joint statement, Kent County Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, Shellina Prendergast, and director of education, Christine McInnes, said: “On behalf of everyone at Kent County Council, we would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to all pupils in Kent who are receiving results today.

"Although Covid-19 restrictions have eased significantly over the last few weeks, and the country is hopefully well on its way back to a more normal way of life, we cannot underestimate the impact the pandemic and periods of lockdown have had on your education and on your lives in general.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank school leaders, teachers and support staff, who worked hard in extremely difficult circumstances to ensure pupils’ education continued with minimal disruption over the past 18 months.

"You should therefore be very proud of yourselves for completing your courses and gaining your well-deserved qualifications.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank school leaders, teachers and support staff, who worked hard in extremely difficult circumstances to ensure pupils’ education continued with minimal disruption over the past 18 months, as well as families who have supported their loved ones throughout the course of their studies.

“Finally, we hope all the young people who received their results today will take some time to relax and enjoy themselves over the summer, and we wish them every success in the next step along their career paths, whether they are remaining in education, beginning an apprenticeship or moving into the world of employment.”

Teenagers get their A-level and AS level results today. Vocational BTec results are also out today.

Those expecting GCSE results will get them in two days time, on Thursday, August 12.

Teachers have been required to consider a range of evidence, including mock exams, coursework, and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards, to make decisions on pupils’ grades.

Head teachers had to submit a personal declaration that they believed grades to be accurate.

Schools and colleges were asked to provide samples of student work to exam boards, as well as evidence used to determine the grades for the students selected, as part of quality assurance (QA) checks.

Random and targeted sample checks of evidence were also carried out after grades were submitted.

In some cases, where the evidence did not support the grades submitted, schools and colleges have been asked to review their grades.

Last summer, the fiasco around grading led to thousands of A-level students having their results downgraded from school estimates by a controversial algorithm, before Ofqual announced a U-turn.

But this year, no algorithm will be used to moderate teachers’ grades.

Ministers hope that exams will go ahead in summer 2022 after two years of them being cancelled.

But pupils taking GCSE and A-level exams next year could be given advance notice on the focus of exam papers to ensure they are not disadvantaged as a result of lost learning during the pandemic.

The proposals include giving schools and colleges some choice over the topics that students are assessed on, as well as providing exam aids, but final details will not be confirmed until the autumn term.

News from our universities, local primary and secondary schools including Ofsted inspections and league tables can be found here.

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