GCSE

Notable successes included Ezekiel M’Imea, who achieved a clean sweep of grade 9s in his 10 subjects, and Joseph Hesketh, who got nine 9s and an 8.

When Jack Tilstone suffered shoulder pain, his doctor, physio and osteopath put it down to fast growth or playing on his Xbox. Then a lump developed

The Saffron Walden school said this year's GCSE cohort had achieved many success stories through hard work and determination.

Head Chris Townsend said: "There are some exceptional results this year, with as many as a dozen pupils achieving better than six GCSEs at grade 9."

Principal David Woods said: "Students had to access a large amount of their GCSE learning remotely and showed excellent resilience and adaptability."

76% of the Maze Green Road independent school's GCSE exams were graded 7 to 9 – with 33% at the highest mark.

Duncan Roberts, principal of the Newport school, said: "We are incredibly proud of the class of 2022 and the excellent outcomes they have achieved."

Pupils had overcome lockdowns and school closures to achieve "richly deserved" results, said the Stansted school's head teacher Matt Carter

Elizabeth Hannant achieved a clean sweep of 11 grade 9s as more than 20% of the cohort achieved grade 7 and higher in all their GCSEs.

Dr Chris Ingate: “Some students have had a difficult journey and struggled more than they might have if they'd been in school for the last two years."

26 of the GCSE cohort at the Sawbridgeworth secondary achieved at least nine passes at the highest grades of 7, 8 and 9.

Head Dale Reeve said: "Given the disruptions in the last three academic years, it's amazing to see such breathtaking GCSE results."

Lady Hale addressed a scaled-back audience of around 270 people in The Bishop's Stortford High School's sports hall.

Jessica Brown was the Sawbridgeworth secondary's highest achiever, with nine grade 9s and one 8.

They were among 42 pupils awarded the College’s Ten Club tie for achieving grade 7 or above in all 10 GCSE subjects.

Isabella and Olivia Copeland are weekly boarders at Felsted and were part of the school's 2019 national cup-winning under-18 cricket team.

Anton Trusty got 9s in all 11 of his subjects while Sakura Fish achieved ten 9s to go with the A* she got in Japanese in 2018.

Principal Duncan Roberts said: "They have overcome unique and specific challenges that no previous GCSE student has had to face."

Tom Johnston: "We're immensely proud of them all and it's wonderful to see their confidence and maturity as they celebrate their successes."

Olivia Fairall, Toby Kerrison and Edward Pulfer staying on for A-levels while elite athlete Innes Dunlop's off to Millfield on triathlon scholarship.