SCENES of joyous celebration took place across Dorset and the New Forest, as thousands of students received their A Level results.

Pass rates were through the roof, with many schools and colleges reporting a 100 per cent pass rate.

See pictures from schools across Dorset and the New Forest in a gallery 

Nationally, the number of students awarded coveted A* and A grades fell slightly, for the first time in 30 years.

Bournemouth School for Girls’ head teacher Alistair Brien said the number of A* grades was “down significantly” on last year.

He said this was due to tougher marking, and mirrors the trend seen nationally.

He added: “I am delighted with the results achieved by the girls this year. They deserve real credit for their achievements, as do their teachers."

The pass rate was 99.5 per cent, with 69 per cent awarded a grade B or above.

At Bournemouth School, 99 per cent were graded A*-E, with 67 per cent a grade B or higher.

Head teacher, Dr Dorian Lewis, said the fall in A* grades had 'some impact' with their students as well.

The 300 A Level students at St Peter's improved on their overall pass rate, with 99.2 per cent.

And the year group bucked the national trend, with 25 A* grades and 40 A grades, despite predictions of only 3 A's.

At Bournemouth and Poole College, students scored a 99 per cent pass-rate, with 48 students getting A and A* marks.

There were tears of joy at Talbot Heath, as students smashed the record for top grades with 55 per cent A* or A.

Avonbourne Sixth Form, with its second year of A Level results, saw a 96.1 per cent pass rate – with 61.8 per cent scoring A* to C grades.

Sixth formers at Bournemouth’s LeAF Federation – Oak Academy and LeAF Studio – achieved an overall pass rate of 95 per cent, with Bournemouth Collegiate School recording their best ever A level results.

In Poole, youngsters at Magna Academy recorded exceptional BTEC results ahead of their first A Level grades next year, with 70 per cent of entries achieving the highest grade, up 19 per cent on 2014.

At Corfe Hills School, 72 per cent of pupils achieved grades A* to C, an increase of two per cent on last year.

Top marks were also recorded at Parkstone Grammar, with a pass rate of 99.4 per cent, and 94 per cent at A* to C.

Students Georgia Acton, Rachael Beasley, Hayley Foy, Ella Monkcom, Rhianna O’Connor and Rosie Watkins had A* grades in all their subjects.

There was a 98.8 per cent pass rate at Poole Grammar, with 67.3 per cent A*-B grades.

And all art, electronics, further maths and German students got at least a B grade in their exams.

St Edwards School saw a pass rate of 98 per cent, with 48 per cent A*-B, up six per cent on last year.

Students at Poole High celebrated a 99 per cent pass rate, with a third of grades A*-B.

The pass rate at Lytchett Minster's sixth form hit 98 per cent, with more than 70 per cent achieving A*-C.

In Christchurch, Twynham School yet again recorded excellent results with an "almost 99.9 per cent" pass rate.

Head teacher, Dr Terry Fish, said 25 per cent of students achieved A* to A grades, while 55 per cent achieved A* to B grades.

At Highcliffe, top student Eleanor Sheekey got her place at Peterhouse College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences having gained an exceptional 5 A* grades.

Nearly three quarters of grades achieved were A*-C.

And youngsters at The Grange, also celebrated their top BTEC results, with Sam Whitfield picking up three D* - equivalent to an A* at A-Level.

Record results at Queen Elizabeth School saw a 97 per cent pass rate, with 37 per cent of students gaining A*-A.

Ferndown Upper School students celebrated a 98 per cent pass rate with 42 per cent of students achieving the top A*- B grades, up from 29 per cent from last year.

High-flyers at Ringwood School saw a 100 per cent pass rate with 77 per cent of all grades at A*-C And students at Arnewood recorded their best ever A Level results, with students bucking the national trend and recording their highest ever total of top grades with 80 per cent achieving A* to C.

Brockenhurst College saw six students from the same class get the grades for places at Oxford and Cambridge with an overall pass rate of 99 per cent.

Girls at St Mary’s Shaftesbury achieved 83 per cent A*-B and 20 per cent A* grades.

And 76 per cent of students at The Blandford School increased their number of A*-A grades by five per cent to 26 per cent overall.

Purbeck Students reaped their rewards with their top results rising dramatically from 45 per cent A*- B last year to 59 per cent this year.