The staff and Governing Body at Dyffryn Taf in Whitland would like to celebrate the success and hard work of all students receiving results today in GCSE, WBQ, BTEC and other courses.

“Against a backdrop of ongoing disruption to learning and exam preparation, these young people have shown dedication and a determination to let their talent and ability shine through,” said headteache Mr J G Kennedy.

“We congratulate them all and look forward to supporting them in the next stage of their education and life.

“We welcome all those planning to return to our vibrant Sixth Form and offer our best wishes to those choosing to study or work elsewhere.

“Specialist school staff and staff from the Careers Service will be available to offer support to any students and families who need it.

“We will not be publishing an overview of the school's performance and would like to celebrate the achievements of each individual.”

Of particular note are the following performances:

• Hettie Russell achieved 10 A* grades, with all her results in the A*-A range.

• Ellion Gipson achieved 8 A* grades.

• A number of students achieved 5 or more A* grades including Bethan Dew, Rhian Allen,

Natasha Bebb-Murphy, Devon Boothman, Ellie Colledge, Dan Howells and Tegan Skyrme.

Carmarthenshire County Council has congratulated all of the county’s students that have received their GCSE results today.

This year’s assessment and qualification process have returned to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic format of examinations which included adaptations to accommodate the ongoing effects of the pandemic that leaners and teachers have had to contend with.

After two years without exams, students have had the opportunity to show what they’ve learned and what they can do through exams and assessments.

Whilst this year’s results are not directly comparable with any other year, overall in Wales, outcomes are higher than when exams were last sat in 2019 , but lower than 2021 when there was a different method of assessment.

In Carmarthenshire 72.1% of all entries have been awarded an A*-C grade representing an increase of 1.2% since examinations were last sat in 2019. This is higher than the national average of 68.6%.

27.2% of entries achieved an A*-A grade representing a significant increase of 5.9% in comparison to 2019 and again higher than the national average of 25.1%.

91.6 % of entries achieved an A* - E grade.

Speaking on behalf of Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr. Glynog Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language said: “We are so happy for those young people who are receiving their well-earned GCSE grades, congratulations to you all.”

“Carmarthenshire County Council is very proud of our young people’s achievements, as are we of the support and commitment given by their teachers, support staff, families and friends.

“Thank you all for your hard work in what has been a challenging couple of years, due to the COVDI-19 pandemic. We wish you all well in your future endeavours.”

In a joint statement, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Chief Executive, Wendy Walters and Director of Education and Children’s Services, Gareth Morgans added:

“We are extremely proud what of has been achieved by our learners and they fully deserve these results. This year, for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, our GCSE learners have sat examinations.

“The pandemic, however, has loomed large over their preparations and they, along with their teachers, support staff, families and friends, have had to display resilience and dedication to achieve these fantastic results. We are grateful to you all.”

“We would also like to thank our schools and their staff for their continued hard work and commitment to providing our learners with the very best opportunities to succeed.”