THE best GCSE results since before Covid are testament to the efforts of the entire Hurworth School community, according to its "proud" headteacher.

Praising the "determination, resilience and hard work" of the school's Y11s, Rachel Somerville confirmed the "outstanding" results were "the best the school has seen in several years."

And she said she was "proud of every single student who has been in our Year 11 - they have worked hard and deserve the success they are celebrating today."

She added: "The dedication and commitment demonstrated by the entire Hurworth community - including students, staff and families - have been instrumental in achieving these outstanding results.

"By working closely together, we have created an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed."

Hurworth School recently became part of Inicio Academies trust, and Rachel said the governors and staff shared in the pride, "recognising the significant effort and hard work of this year's cohort."

She added: "Behind these statistics are countless stories of success, sometimes against all the odds."

And no student exemplified that spirit more than Hannah Billingham, who has overcome various family challenges to excel in her studies.

Her seven Grade 9s and two Grade 8s made her Hurworth's best-performing student - even though much of her spare time and energy is devoted to caring for her 11-year-old brother Ben, who has significant learning difficulties.

And in 2019, her dad Craig, a senior manager at Hitachi Rail in Newton Aycliffe, died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

But her life experiences have simply fuelled her desire to work hard and help people, with a possible career in the field of medicine her aim.

Hannah, who also has a basic life support qualification and recently joined the Darlington FC women's first team, said: "I'm pretty proud of my results, to be honest - I did work hard for them.

"I love caring for people so something in medicine would be a good career for me."

Hannah's proud mum Michelle said: "I just think she's a phenomenal human being. She's kind, caring, totally self-motivated, driven and wants to make a difference in the world."

Among the other high-flyers at Hurworth, which has just become part of Inicio Academies Trust, were Grace Davison (below), whose nine GCSEs included Grade 8s in English, geography and religious studies. It's been a busy time for Grace, who recently travelled to Tijuana in Mexico with a group from All Saints Church in Stockton to help build a house for families living in poverty.

(Image: Dave Robson)

She said: "I did lots of my schoolwork before I went because I just wanted to live in the moment while I was there." She now plans to study business, sociology and politics at Queen Elizabeth College.

Recommended reading:

Get more from The Northern Echo with a Premium Plus digital subscription from as little as only £1.50 a week.

Hurworth's best performing male student was Josh Hodges (below), whose haul of nine GCSEs included four Grade 8s and two Grade 9s.

(Image: Dave Robson)

And it's been a memorable few weeks for Ollie Porter (below), who not only achieved nine GCSEs, including a Grade 8 in PE, but is also a sporting European Champion, having played in the winning Team GB U23 wheelchair basketball team that beat Germany in Madrid last month to clinch the IWBF European title. He now plans to study PE, psychology and criminology at college.

(Image: Dave Robson)

Reflecting on the school's 2024 GCSE performance, headteacher Rachel added: "Hurworth School remains committed to providing an environment where students can thrive and reach their full potential.

"As we celebrate this year's successes, we look forward to continuing to support our students in their academic and personal growth."