Pupils across Waveney and south Norfolk were celebrating on A-level results day after battling through a second year of disrupted classes.

Jeremy Aitken, 18, was left celebrating after earning himself three Distinction stars in sport and business at Bungay High School, where he praised the efforts of teachers during the pandemic.

He said: "It has gone really well and I am happy with my results.

"The last year was good because we had our online lessons and found a way around Covid, and went we came back into school the teachers were quite good at helping us catch up with everything."

Coline Lightfoot, who earned A*AA in sociology, geography and photography, said the pandemic created additional challenges for some courses.

She said: "The biggest struggle was photography because we couldn't go outside to take pictures, but we found a way around it and I am very pleased with my results."

Bungay headteacher Angelo Goduti said: "The governors and I would like to congratulate the students, staff and parents of Bungay High Sixth Form on the excellent results achieved this year.

"We are very proud of our students' achievements at A Level and Level 3 courses, which clearly demonstrate their hard hard, commitment and determination.

"The results are a credit to them and testament to their dedication throughout another challenging and disrupted academic year.

"We are so pleased that, despite all of the upheaval of recent months, our students have been so very successful in achieving their next steps and chosen university places."

There were similar success stories at Sir John Leman High School in Beccles.

In a joint statement, headteacher Michael Taylor and Jeremy Rowe, CEO of the Waveney Valley Academies Trust, said: "We would like to congratulate and praise the students across our schools who reacted so well to the fractured, interrupted and unexpected journey they had through their studies."

Phoebe Ellis, who will be heading to Warwick University to study maths, said: "This year has certainly been different, but good."

Fellow student Daisy Whymark added: "I have really enjoyed studying. It has been hard work but it has paid off."

At Langley School, 94pc of pupils recorded an A* to C grade, with headmaster Jon Perriss saying: "This cohort is the strongest Langley has had for many years, regardless of the method of assessment, and the results are testament to the integrity of the process and calibre of the student."