Rudheath Senior Academy are celebrating GCSE results day

The culmination of endless hours in and out of school all on one piece of paper.

It's enough to make any nervous and that's just how Paige Keen felt ahead of picking up her GCSE results at Rudheath Senior Academy on Thursday.

But in the end, the 16-year-old had little to worry about, bagging two grade 9s in history and geography, and everything else above a grade 6 apart from maths.

She said: “To now open them and see it’s all paid off, I’m just so happy and grateful for all the support I’ve had along the way.

“I haven’t slept, I was so nervous this morning knowing that I put everything into all of these exams and to know that my effort for the past five years is in an envelope, it was so nerve-wracking."

To celebrate, Paige took advantage of a Nando's offer and went for something to eat.

And head of year 11, Mrs Cooper, could not be more pleased for her student.

“Paige has been absolutely amazing. She has been an inspiration to staff and actual students. She has done assemblies, she’s worked with individuals and is very engaged with the new year sevens,” she said.

Paige is heading to Priestley College in Warrington to do four A-levels in criminology, philosophy, both English subjects together as one and classical civilisation, before she plans to study to be a criminal law barrister.

Paige with head girl of Rudheath Senior Academy, Emma Parsons

At just 16, Paige has an outstanding number of achievements to her name including meeting Prince William and the Prime Minister.

After her own experiences in primary school, she has formed her own anti-bullying group where she is the ambassador and she is on the youth council.

And she has paid tribute to Mrs Cooper for the support her and other teachers has offered.

Paige continued: “Teachers are definitely some of the most influential people that you can have in your life. If you like the teacher, you like the subject – it makes it so much easier.

“For me, my parents, family, friends, peers and everyone surrounding me was so, so supportive and ultimately, I don’t think I would have performed the way I did if I didn’t have this massive, positive support bubble.

“Mrs Cooper is my head of year so I spent a lot of time with her, my form teacher Mrs Hughton and definitely my English teacher Mrs Morrell.”

And Mrs Cooper is a big fan of Paige and the work that she puts in.

“She likes to work on anti-bullying and friendship groups with the year sevens,” she said.

“She will sit down and give up her own time to play games with them and chat to them so they don’t actually know they’re talking about anti-bullying.

“She is very low-key as well so she won’t actually sing her own praises, you have to ask her what’s she’s done or she might just gradually drop it into conversation.”

And Paige has even gone full role-reversal as part of the youth council, as she was a trainer on a course that Mrs Cooper was on talking about a subject they are both passionate about.

“The students from years 7-10 know who she is, know that she’s approachable,” Mrs Cooper added.

“I actually got really bullied in high school as well so anti-bullying is quite a focus for me. Meeting Paige and putting the two together, with her representing students and me representing staff, it’s been really good to push that forward together.”

Paige’s success caps off a great day for Rudheath Senior Academy.

Julie-Ann Wilson, deputy head of Rudheath Senior Academy, said: “Today has been absolutely brilliant.

"It’s been a pleasure to welcome the students on site to receive their results that they have all worked so hard for.

"They have all shown such tenacity and resilience during the lockdown period so it’s just a delight to see them getting their grades and moving on to the destinations to the deserve to move on to.”