BRIGHT futures lie ahead for the hundreds of hard-working Redditch teenagers who collected some of the best ever GCSE results.

Pupils at St Augustine's High School performed particularly well, with 71 per cent achieving more than five A* to C grades, which is up by one per cent on last year's results.

The Hunt End school beat the national pass rate for five A* to C grades of 61 per cent when pupils collected their results on Thursday.

Headteacher Yvonne Brennan said: "We are very pleased with these results."

Two brave St Augustine's pupils, Scott Newton and Helen Slater, opened their results live on a Midlands radio station. Both 16-year-olds collected a string of A* and A grades.

Similar results were picked up by Naomi Caney, James Richardson and Joanne Leese.

"I would also like to give a special mention to one of our disabled students, Charlotte Street, who despite having major surgery in Year Ten still collected seven GCSEs," added Mrs Brennan.

Trinity High School pupil Jasmine Ebanks also achieved success against the odds because despite being profoundly deaf she achieved six of the top grades. The Easemore Road school notched up a pass rate of 48 per cent for grades A* to C, with notable success for Felicity McWilliams, Christian Wood and Sunna Farooqi.

Over at Studley High School, 60 per cent of students picked up at least five A* to C grades, with Kim Averiss and Alex Green-Wilkes collecting the best results.

At Kingsley College, staff and students were celebrating an improvement on last year's pass rate with 54 per cent achieving five grades A* to C. Bright spark Jenny Hill managed to notch up eight A* grades.

Woodrush High School pupils Vicky Hands, Lauren Shannon and Matthew Hickman were praised for exceptional results. The Wythall school had a pass rate of 47 per cent.

And at Arrow Vale High School headteacher Peter Woodman was pleased with a 36 per cent A* to C pass rate, despite being down one per cent on last year.

He said: "The students have been rewarded for the hard work they have put in over the last two years. Results are a reflection of the commitment of our students and staff who have worked together to achieve the best for each individual."