PUPILS across the Vale of Glamorgan are celebrating after yet another year of excellent GCSE results.

The proportion of entries gaining an A* or A grade is 22.7 per cent which is above the Welsh average of 19.2 per cent. There was a decrease compared to last year when 24.5 per cent of entries gained the top grades.

67 per cent of Vale pupils gained an A* - C grade, which is also above the Welsh average of 65.7 per cent. Again, there was a decline in this statistic compared to last year’s results when 69.8 per cent achieved an A*- C grade.

The decrease on some figures compared to last year is being echoed in results across the rest of England and Wales and reflects tougher science exams.

There were an extra 506 GCSEs entries in the Vale this year compared to 2012, bringing the total number to 12908.

The Vale council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Chris Elmore said: “Congratulations to all the pupils who have worked so hard to achieve these results, they are a credit to both their parents and their schools. The teachers and the parents also deserve a very special thank you for all their hard work in supporting our GCSE pupils.

“The Vale council is fully committed to building the best possible education system through our 21st Century Schools Programme. We look forward to working with our schools to give our young people all the opportunities they deserve.”

One pupil who was certainly jumping for joy this morning after receiving her results was Ellie Atkinson from Llantwit Major School. 16-year-old Ellie achieved seven A* grades and three A grades. The bright teenager, who is also a talented long-middle distance runner and has represented Wales, excelled in her science, PE and religious studies exams, not dropping a single point across her exams or coursework to achieve a 100 per cent mark in all three subjects.

All figures are based on WJEC entries only.

Some Vale schools may use other examination boards and so final GCSE performance figures may change.