THERE were celebrations across the area as pupils produced outstanding results at GCSE.

Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and Llandovery College are among the schools passing out plaudits to their students for their great grades as it emerges that Neath Port Talbot results are the highest ever and that pupils in Carmarthenshire remain firmly at the top of the class.

Ysgol Dyffryn Aman head Stephen Perks told the Guardian the school were delighted with this year’s results.

Star performers include Laura Michael who gained an incredible nine A* and three A’s, Georgia Mills with seven A* and five As, Nia Phillips with six A* and five As and Reinhardt Frohmut with five A* and four As.

Mr Perks said: “I would again pay tribute to the efforts of pupils and teachers together with the consistent support that we receive from parents.”

Year 11 students at Ysgol Maesydderwen are once again celebrating their outstanding GCSE, Welsh Baccalaureate and BTEC results.

The excellent results include 98 per cent of the Year 11 pupils achieving 5 or more A* - C grades, an increase of 9 per cent on last year.

There were some excellent individual successes including Helen Anthony who gained seven A* and three Bs, and Joshua Davies with 13 A* grades and four A grades.

Head Teacher, Mrs Speedy, said, “Once again we are delighted with the performance of our students. These excellent results help to cement our growing reputation and come at the end of a fantastic year which includes the recent Grease production which was a great success. They are results which any school would be proud of. We are also pleased that all our students achieved a qualification which shows that we are a truly inclusive school.”

Over at Llandovery College staff and students were also celebrating GCSE Success

Pupils at Llandovery College are today celebrating impressive GCSE success. The results saw a significant percentage increase on last year. Some 18 per cent of pupils scooped A*s (up from 11% in 2014); 38 per cent achieved A*-A (an increase of six per cent); 58 per cent A*-B and 84 per cent A*-C (a gain of four per cent).

Headmaster, Guy Ayling, said all the hard work had paid off. “There are some quite tremendous results across the board and as an inclusive school we are enormously proud of all of our pupils, especially those who have pushed themselves across the B and C grade boundaries.

Cwmtawe School pupils are cheering the school’s best ever GCSE results and some of the best exam results in Neath Port Talbot this year.

The results show every pupil who sat exams at the school achieved five A*-C grades or equivalent in this summer’s exams.

Delighted head teacher Lee Hitchings said: “The whole school community is celebrating. These are some of the best ever results for Cwmtawe School and come on top of several years of continuing improvement.”

“This has been a splendid year group – the results are thoroughly deserved, reflecting the very hard work of pupils and their teachers.”

The school’s results include some exceptional individual achievements, including Charlie Bloomer with 12A*s and Yasmin Jenkins with 10A*s and 1A.

The school is particularly proud of Luke Shaw from Gwaun Cae Gurwen. He was the focus of a television programme on Young Carers by Wales This Week last February. Luke cared for his disabled brother and mother before and after returning from school. Despite having to juggle cooking, washing, cleaning and homework Luke managed to pass all his GCSE’s - earning Bs in English, Maths and Science.

Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth, star performers included Chelsie Walters of Tumble who gained nine A*and one A and Harri Jones of Ammanford who got eight A* and two As

Head teacher Anna Williams said: “Once again our pupils are celebrating a deserved set of results. We wish each and everyone well and look forward to inviting many of them back to school to pursue Post 16 courses of study.”

Gwenda Thomas, AM congratulated all schools in Neath Port Talbot: ‘”Pupils, parents and staff in Neath Port Talbot should be really proud of these results.

“As an example, in my own constituency of Neath, Cwmtawe Community School has achieved outstanding results. Here, the most able 10 per cent pupils achieved nine or more A* or A grades, two thirds of Year 11 pupils achieved eight GCSEs including English, mathematics and science, and every pupil educated in Cwmtawe achieved 5A*-C or equivalent.”

Carmarthenshire County Council also praised pupils, after provisional figures showed that 86.2 per cent of pupils achieved grades A* to C in comparison with the Welsh average of 66.6 per cent.

Executive Board Member for Education Cllr Gareth Jones congratulated pupils for their hard work.

He said: “Once again, they have achieved excellent results across all their examinations. Similar to last week’s A and AS level results, the increased percentages for a range of grades and overall passes demonstrates a very positive picture for our authority.

“We continue to build most successfully on the achievements of previous years and we pay full tribute to the pupils’ efforts and success. The council also acknowledges the dedication. commitment and support provided to them by their schools, teachers, teaching support staff and of course their parents. Today is a very proud and well deserved day for them all.”