By Kelly Eve

Last updated 09:28, Saturday, 23 August 2008

BOYS in Cumbria are proving they are stars when it comes to clinching top GCSE grades this year.

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A big lift: From left, Chris Humpleby, Max Conway, Chris Law and Chris Grainger from St Aidans County High School, Carlisle

Nationally, the number of boys getting five top GCSEs has gone up 2.4 per cent and broken the 60 per cent mark for the first time. They are also showing signs of closing the attainment gap in the core subjects.

The pass rate at A*-C for boys in English is up 0.9 per cent whereas it was 0.4 per cent higher for girls. There were similar increases in maths.

Locally, among the first to open their brown envelopes on Thursday were Max Conway and Chris Humpleby, pupils at St Aidan’s School in Carlisle.

Max, of Scotby, was surprised to find he had achieved seven A*s, three As and a B.

He also got full marks in both of his IT exams and is planning to do A-levels before following a career in law. He said: “I got what I expected for some of them but definitely not all. I can’t believe I got an A in music and A* in science or full marks in the IT papers.”

Chris got eight A*s and an A. Chris, who wants to become a sports journalist, is already one of the school’s community sports leaders, sports personality of the year and recipient of the school’s 2008 governors’ award, as well as representing his peers on the Student Voice body.

School friend Joe Wallace was overjoyed after getting five GCSEs, including maths and English.

Joe, who has ambitions of becoming a Navy officer, is doing an NVQ in Business and Administration after taking up a voluntary role working with the school’s receptionists and admin officers last year.

At nearby Newman School, Sam Crook was keen to call his mother to say he had got a B in maths and was successful in their £50 wager. Promising novelist Sam, who hugged his tutor Alan Dunn as the news of his results sunk in, was delighted to discover he’d achieved two As in English Language and Literature.

He said: “It’s a dreadful cliche but the world is my oyster. I’m writing a novel and I want to be a professional writer so I’m chuffed to bits. They are so much better than I expected.”

Fellow pupil Matthew Innes was one of Newman’s brightest stars,

David Bradley also took home an impressive set of certificates boasting eight As and two Bs.

Trinity’s Jordan Little was given time off from his full-time job to pick up his results.

Jordan, of Gretna, is a cashier at Barclays Bank.

Jordan, who got two As and six Bs, said: “I was offered the job after I’d sat my exams. I’m really pleased with my results.

“Work gave me an hour off to come down and get them. I’ve been really nervous about it but everyone at work has been really great and supportive.

“I don’t know if I’ll do any further education at the moment, the news is still sinking in, but Barclays have their own university option where they sponsor you through higher education so I may explore that option too.”

Head Mike Chapman was impressed with pupils’ successes at Keswick School this year. He said 78 per cent of students received five top GCSEs, a two per cent increase on last year.

He was particularly pleased because 60 per cent of his 170-strong year 11 group were boys.

He said: “It was a year group with a lot of boys and overall our figures show that our boys aren’t that far adrift of the girls. They are catching up.”

Elsewhere, Douglas Sloane and Jonathan Barnsley are two of the three students at Austin Friars independent school in Carlisle to have nine A*s each.

In Longtown, twins Ryan and Aaron Whitfield