Tension turned to tears of joy at Oakmoor on GCSE results day as the waiting finally ended for students around Whitehill and Bordon.
Teenagers shared their results, called their loved ones and jumped for joy as envelopes were opened.
Some, like Natalie Stokes, couldn’t make the journey alone so she prayed for the best and brought her mother along for morale support.
“I couldn’t come here today without my mum by my side,” said the relieved student after collecting her excellent results with a celebratory dinner planned.
“This is their day,” said science teacher, Mr Chatton.
“They put the work in for it, the extra time and extra effort throughout the year and it wasn’t easy for them.
“It was hard work, but they supported each other as a year group.”
The camaraderie shown on results day has been a mainstay of GCSE preparations at Oakmoor as a student would give a motivational “we got this” speech to their peers before writing began.
The percentage of Oakmoor students who achieved a Grade 4 in both Maths and English has increased by eight per cent on last year, while the figure for those achieving Grade 5 in both subjects has also risen by seven per cent.
“I was getting impatient waiting for my results,” said Sid Howell after securing a place at Godalming College with a host of 6s, 7s and an 8.
“And now that I have them I can hang out with my friends and get a takeaway stress-free.”
Headteacher Nigel Wright said: “I am very proud of all our students - it has been a delight to see so many happy faces in our school today.
“I know these youngsters fully deserve the grades they’ve got. So much hard work has gone into the results, and it is fantastic to see this rewarded.”
By Katie Holding