Students proud of GCSE results despite rates drop

Students at Downlands Community School in Hassocks receiving their GCSE results

Students receiving their GCSE results in Sussex say they are proud and relieved with their grades after a regional drop in pass rates in the South East.

Pupils at Downlands Community School in Hassocks, West Sussex, said they were "absolutely buzzing" having come into the school to pick up their results as thousands of students across the county did the same.

The results come as both East and West Sussex saw a drop in pass rates and students receiving the top grades.

Falls in pass rates follow the national trend, but the South East has seen one of the largest year-on-year drops in results of any region in the UK.

Angus, a Downlands student, said he was "in disbelief and proud" about his results

Rebecca, who picked up her results on Thursday morning, said: "I was nervous at first, I wanted to come in and open them.

"We all opened our envelopes and filmed each other – I think everyone is pretty happy."

Rebecca, who received pass grades in sports studies and food tech, said she was due to study beauty therapy at Brighton Metropolitan College.

Pass rates for students receiving a grade 4 or above, equivalent to an old-style C grade, in East Sussex hit 67.8%, about 0.8% lower than in 2024.

In West Sussex, the same rates were 68.1%, about 0.4% down on the previous year.

Rates for students receiving the top 9 grades also fell in both counties.

Liza, a Ukrainian refugee studying at Brighton College, received special recognition for her art exam

In Brighton, Ukrainian refugee Liza said she had "mixed feelings" but was "so happy" after receiving special recognition for her art GCSE.

Liza, who received a full scholarship from Brighton College after arriving in the England in 2022, added: "I haven't seen my grandparents for years since the start of the war but I know they will be proud of what I have achieved."

Downlands student Angus said he was "in disbelief and proud that I could get this far" after receiving his results.

He added: "Mocks were a massive wake-up call for me, but my teachers were a massive influence on me."

Downlands headteacher Mark Wignall, who is leaving the profession following this set of results, said his students had done "really well", adding: "I'm sure we will see a range of emotions today."