Thousands of nervous students were flocking to schools across Oxfordshire today (Thursday, August 26) to collect their long-awaited GCSE results.

Individual schools are still processing their results and it will not be known until later this year whether the county has met tough targets set by Oxfordshire County Council.

Oxfordshire schools performed below the national average last year, missing the targets.

Pupils in Oxford were the first generation of GCSE candidates since the reorganisation from a three-tier to a two-tier school system.

Oxfordshire County Council is hoping the reorganisation will lead to better results.

This year, the council was hoping 56 per cent of pupils would achieve the benchmark five GCSEs at grade C or better, with 93 per cent achieving five grade A* to G passes and 97 per cent achieving at least one exam at grades A* to G.

Last year, only 51.3 per cent of children in Oxfordshire state schools achieved five GCSEs at grade C, or better.

Tony Crabbe, executive member for schools, praised individual schools like Matthew Arnold School in Oxford where almost 70 per cent of pupils achieved the benchmark five GCSEs at grade C, but was doubtful that the county would meet the targets this year.

He said: "They are very ambitious targets - we didn't meet them last year and I would be surprised if we did this year but I'm hopeful we will make some significant progress towards meeting them."