THERE were 'happy smiling faces' at Westhoughton High School.

Headteacher Phil Hart's face was alight with pride as he welcomed his pupils into the school to collect their envelopes on GCSE results day.

He said: "I am pleased with the manner in which our teachers and students have responded to the challenges the revised GCSEs in English and maths have presented. We have had many happy smiling faces on students, teachers and parents this morning as envelopes have been opened."

Joe Leeming, aged 16, was one of the star performers, opening up his grades to find out that he got two 9s, one 8, and six A*s

He said: "I was a bit surprised. I did not really know what to expect, especially with the English results. It went much better than I expected. I was obviously hoping to do well but I did not expect it to be quite like that.

"The exams went pretty well I thought. It has been a lot of work and those few weeks were stressful."

Joe said he would be going to Winstanley College in September.

Alice Perkins, also 16, got six A*s, a 9, an 8 and a 6.

She said: "I just can not believe it. I can not believe I got a 9 in maths!

"This year the exams were noticeably harder compared to years before. So I am quite happy with how I have done.

"I was getting more and more nervous leading up to it so I avoided thinking about GCSEs and looking at social media."

Alice will also be attending Winstanley College in September.