Cornwall Council is congratulating young people in Cornwall who have worked so hard at their GCSE courses and have today received the results that have done their talents and abilities justice.

Andrew Wallis, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said the achievements were a tribute to the hard work and commitment of both students and schools in Cornwall and praised the support provided by parents and carers. “I would like to congratulate everyone on their achievements” he said.

“All our schools are committed to providing the best quality education for their students and today’s results show that, once again, hard work has paid dividends. This is a very important time for these young people who will be making key decisions which will affect their future lives."

Also welcoming the success of Cornish students, Jane Black, the Council’s Head of Service for Learning and Achievement, said that the exams were an important stepping stone for young people in Cornwall. “I’m really pleased to see so many young people do so well in their GCSEs. We are still waiting for detailed results from a number of our secondary schools but anticipate that the picture here will reflect the national picture. We will be analysing the data from all our schools over the next few days when we will have a clearer idea of how they have performed”.

“The changes in the educational system mean that these young people will continue in learning or training until they are 18. However, this does not mean they need necessarily to stay on in a classroom. While many will choose to remain in full time education, such as a school sixth form or FE College, they can also opt for work based learning such as an apprenticeship or take part in part time education or training if they are employed, self employed or volunteering for 20 hours or more per week.

“For anyone who is unsure what to do next, they can contact the National Careers Service which offers free and impartial advice and access to a range of online tools, including skills tests, course search, job search advice and personalised help from careers advisers.”

The National Careers Service can be contacted in confidence by telephone on a dedicated careers helpline 0800 100 900, via web chat and email by searching online for the National Careers Service.