Today GCSE students will be feeling trepidation and excitement as they prepare to find out their results.
Follow our coverage to find out how schools across the area have performed, including Bury St Edmunds, Mildenhall, Stowmarket, Haverhill, Sudbury and Newmarket.
GCSE grades are ranked from 1, the lowest, to 9, the highest.
This story will be updated as the results come in.
County High School in Bury St Edmunds
At County High, the majority of the 185-strong cohort have achieved the results they need to progress onto their chosen next steps.
Across all subjects, 20 per cent of results were awarded at grade 7 or above, while 21 students achieved an average grade 7 or higher across all their subjects.
Of the students with good attendance, 62 per cent achieved a grade 5 or higher in both English and maths, and 80 per cent achieved a grade 4 or higher in these subjects.
Headteacher Sally Kennedy said: "We are thrilled to share this special moment with our students and recognise everything they have accomplished.
“As they move on to the next stage of their education and careers, we are excited to see what they achieve in the future.”
St Benedict’s Catholic School in Bury St Edmunds
Internal data at St Benedict’s Catholic School shows progress has been ‘very strong’ - borne out by the ‘excellent’ attainment data the school has seen.
Headteacher Imogen Senior said: “We are full of admiration for this cohort of students, for the hard work they have put in, the wonderful attitudes that they have shown and the GCSE results that they have achieved as part of their journey.
“The exam data never tells the whole story of a young person and we encourage all of our young people to see beyond numbers alone, but that said students have achieved very well in all respects.”
She added: “These are a wonderful group of young people and we look forward to their continued success in the sixth form or in their next steps wherever they are.”
King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds
More than 100 grade 9s were achieved by students at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds today as their headteacher celebrated their determination and perseverance.
Performance at the highest grades was particularly strong with 31 students achieving at least one grade 9, while 15 students achieved eight or more grades at 7-9, including seven pupils who scored 10 or more grades at 7-9.
The separate sciences were a particular strength for King Edward’s students; across biology, chemistry and physics, students achieved 29 grade 9s, and almost half of physics entries were awarded grades 7-9 as well as 100 per cent achieving grade 4 or above.
This was complemented by 96 per cent of entries in both biology and chemistry achieving grade 4 or above.
In total, King Edward’s recorded 103 grade 9s; 234 students sat exams at the school.
Headteacher Deri O’ Regan said there were some exceptional individual performances at the school – including Georgina Lyon who scored nine grade 9s and also celebrated the breadth of high attainment across the year group.
Thurston Community College
There were smiles and cheers of celebration at Thurston Community College as pupils collected their GCSE and BTEC results.
Maéve Taylor, principal, said the 250 students who took GCSEs and other level 2 courses should be proud of their achievements.
She said: “Students across the board have done really well across all subjects and all abilities.”
“We know our students worked hard to achieve their very best and some did this despite some really challenging personal circumstances.
“We are also proud of our Student Leadership Team, Kai, Thomas, Ellie and Callum, who achieved excellent results as well as giving so generously of their time to shape student leadership at the college,” said Ms Taylor.
Stour Valley Community School in Clare
‘Hard work, determination, resilience and personal growth’ has been highlighted at Stour Valley Community School in Clare as students collect their GCSE results.
More than 10 per cent of students achieved mainly grades 7–9, with Nesta Barksfield, Kaelan Bell, Theo Birks, Elissa De Magalhaes, Roxy Down, Edith Dubery, William Harmer, James Kentish-Turbefield, Oscar Painter and Mitchel Rowland among those achieving particularly strong results.
Rowan Kimber scored an outstanding seven grade 9s and one grade 8.
Castle Manor Academy in Haverhill
Students, staff and families came together to celebrate this morning as Year 11 students at Castle Manor Academy in Haverhill received their GCSE results.
The school said the Class of 2026 had plenty to be proud of, with students achieving some strong outcomes across a broad range of subjects.
Headteacher Vanessa Whitcombe said results day was a time to reflect on students' commitment and ambition and also the support provided by staff and families throughout their GCSE journey.
Samuel Ward Academy in Haverhill
Students at Samuel Ward Academy in Haverhill are celebrating a positive set of GCSE results.
Headteacher Tom Johnston said it was a privilege to see the hard work of students pay off.
He said: “Our aim is for each student to flourish, not just academically, but also as a well-rounded young person ready to take on their next challenge.”
Stowmarket High School
The headteacher at Stowmarket High School said they were incredibly proud to celebrate the achievements of Year 11 students.
Lucie Hernandez said: “Their hard work, determination and resilience have been evident throughout their time with us and it is wonderful to see their efforts rewarded.
“These results reflect the commitment of our students, the dedication and support of our staff, and the encouragement of families throughout the year.
“There are many individual successes to celebrate, including students who have achieved excellent academic outcomes and those who have overcome significant barriers to learning.
“We are extremely proud of our Year 11 students and wish them every success as they take their next steps.”
Sybil Andrews Academy
Staff and pupils at a Bury St Edmunds school are celebrating after a record year for GCSE results.
Of the 126 pupils who sat their exams at Sybil Andrews Academy, in Rougham Tower Avenue, 75 per cent obtained a level 4 grade or above in maths and English.
In addition, 60 per cent got at least a grade 5 in the two subjects.
Henry Stevenson, headteacher, said the latter was a school record and meant staff were chuffed with the results.
Dasha Ivanova, 16, of Bury, overcame a significant hurdle in her school life, having moved to England in 2023 from Russia – and went on to get four level 9 grades, two 8s and a level two star distinction in health and social care.
Mr Stevenson said her results were phenomenal.
Read the full story here.
Mildenhall College Academy
Year 11 students at Mildenhall College Academy have been applauded for their resilience and hard work after receiving their GCSE results.
At the Sheldrick Way site, 63 per cent of the students achieved a grade 4 or above in English language or literature, while 61 per cent achieved the same benchmark in maths.
Out of the 218-strong cohort, 30 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, which is a significant increase from last year’s results.
About a quarter of the students achieved at least one grade 7 or above across a range of subjects.
James Oxley, principal at the academy, said if there was one word to define the group of pupils this year, it was resilience.
One of the top performing students was Mikolaj Poplawski who achieved seven grade 9s, two grade 8s and 2 grade 7s.
Culford School
Pupils and staff at Culford School have celebrated another year of ‘remarkable academic success’.
Students at the private school outside Bury St Edmunds recorded a 98 per cent overall pass rate across all subjects, and more than half of all grades reached the top 7-9 tier.
This was complemented by 91 per cent at grades 5-9, as well as a 100 per cent pass rate in both English language and literature and 97 per cent in maths.
Across the different departments, 15 secures a 100 per cent rate including triple science, history and computer science.
The school said high-tier attainment was equally impressive, headlined by statistics with 100 per cent at grades 9–7 and art close behind.
Individually, four pupils achieved a clean sweep of top grades across all their subjects.
Headteacher Claire Bentley said the school was ‘immensely proud’ of every single pupil.
Ormiston Sudbury Academy
Ormiston Sudbury Academy recorded a successful set of GCSE and BTEC results this morning, with the proportion of top grades increasing significantly year-on-year.
Sally Morris, principal at Ormiston Sudbury Academy, said: “Today is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our Year 11 students and everything they have accomplished.
“They have shown real ambition and resilience throughout, and we are delighted to see their hard work rewarded with today's results.
“I would like to thank our dedicated staff and our families, whose encouragement and support have helped our students every step of the way.”
Breckland School, in Brandon
Headteacher James Chapman said the 2026 cohort achieved the highest number of grade 9s in the school’s history, while its highest-achieving student leaves ther school with straight 9s in every subject.
“We are incredibly proud of the hard work and commitment shown by our Year 11 cohort,” he said.
“We would like to say a massive congratulations to the class of 2026.
“We are excited to see our students take their next steps into further education, apprenticeships and future careers.”
Stowupland High School
Students at Stowupland High School are celebrating after receiving their GCSE results today.
The school said it was ‘extremely proud’ of its pupils as they collected the results marking the culmination of years of hard work.
Principal Lee Walker said: “I am delighted for the students who are picking up their results today. These results are testament to the diligence this year group have shown over their time at the school.”
Thomas Gainsborough School in Great Cornard
It was a morning of celebration at Thomas Gainsborough School (TGS) in Great Cornard, which paid tribute to the “hard work, commitment and determination” of its entire cohort of year 11 pupils.
TGS highlighted particularly strong results in the number of students achieving the top grade bracket of 7 to 9, as well as those earning grade 4 or above in the key subjects of English and maths.
Headteacher Craig Lewis said: “We would like to congratulate all our Year 11 students.
“We hope they enjoy celebrating their achievements today and are incredibly proud of everything they have accomplished.
“These results are a reflection of the hard work of our students and the support they have received from staff and families throughout their time at TGS.
“We would like to thank everyone who has played a part in helping them reach this point.”
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