Pride and relief with South East students' GCSE results

Students across the South East have expressed joy and relief after receiving their GCSE and equivalent results.

At Guildford County School, student Velissity said she was "super happy" after achieving a grade nine in Maths.

Her friend, Askja, said she was planning to study Sociology, Psychology and Textiles for the next stage of her education after getting the grades she needed.

The Department for Education (DfE), meanwhile, has advised students "not to panic" if they did not get the results they hoped for.

Finn told BBC Radio Surrey: "I was nervous, just in case, but it has all turned out ok."

Edward added: "It went pretty well for me. I only got two grade eights and the rest were all nines.

"We will have the rest of the day off today."

Noah, who studied at Claverham Community College, said he was "incredibly pleased" after working "extremely hard" for his results.

He told BBC Radio Sussex: "I got straight nines, except for two grade eights, so I'm absolutely over the moon."

Fellow student Eden added: "I'm very happy, I passed Maths which I didn't think I was going to do so I'm glad all my hard work paid off.

"I didn't think I would pass all the core subjects so I'm very happy and looking forward to starting college next year."

It wasn't just teenagers who were collecting results on Thursday.

Anita Prindler, 49, from Dartford, is among a host of career-changers who have received positive GCSE results.

She achieved a Grade 4 in English and Maths, and is due to start a degree before going on to teach secondary school Business Studies.

She said: "I realised my true passion lay in helping others grow.

"I wanted a career driven by purpose - one where I could bring my real world experience in leadership, consumer behaviour, and organisational strategy into the classroom to make learning engaging and relevant."

Gurjit Kaur Shergill, the principal at Leigh Academy Ebbsfleet, was welcoming all of her students to the school on Thursday morning - despite the results being available on an app .

She told BBC Radio Kent: "There will be lots of nerves, from teachers as well, but we are excited to share the news with them.

"If they are with us, we can guide them on their next steps and the pathways they want to take.

"It's important for them to share the moment with us. We've been on the journey with them for the last few years."

The overall GCSE pass rate across the UK has remained stable - with 67.3% of all grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland at 4/C and above, down 0.1% from the previous year.

The proportion of top grades - marked at 7/A or above - has also remained steady, rising very slightly from 21.9% last year to 22% this year.

The DfE has told students there are alternatives to consider if their GCSE grades were not what was expected - including V Levels and T Levels, or taking up an apprenticeship.

Students who did not get the results they hoped for can:

• Request a review: If you were only a few marks short of a grade, it may be worth asking for your paper to be reviewed.

• Resitting: You may need to resit English and Maths if you did not achieve a grade 4, and you can retake them in November. For other subjects, you can retake them the following summer.