THE long wait is finally over for students across East Renfrewshire, who found out their exam results yesterday – and it’s been a record-breaking year, with pupils from all the region’s schools delivering outstanding achievements.

Across seven secondary schools, the best-ever results for pupils achieving five or more Highers were recorded, while students have also achieved East Renfrewshire’s best ever Advanced Higher results. Among fifth-year pupils, 45% achieved five or more Highers, with 41% of sixth years achieving one or more Advanced Highers.

The results for fourth-year pupils also showed a strong performance, with 93% of the year group achieving five or more qualifications at National 4 or better and 75% achieving five or more National 5s or better – the third highest result ever by pupils at East Renfrewshire Council schools. 

Barrhead High and Williamwood High had their best ever S5 results, with Eastwood, Mearns Castle and Woodfarm also showing improvement. 

St Luke’s and St Ninian’s had their best-ever results for the proportion of S6 pupils achieving one or more Advanced Highers, with St Ninian’s up by nearly 5%.

Among those raising the bar was Jennifer Campbell, an S6 pupil from St Luke’s who has achieved straight As in every exam she’s ever sat. 

Jennifer, 18, said: “This year I did Advanced Maths, Higher Chemistry and Higher Geography and I wasn’t expecting to do as well, so it was a bit of a surprise to get As – but a very good one.

“I’m going to study biomedical engineering at Glasgow and I’m excited to find out what it’s going to be like.”

Her classmate Eva Christie, 18, can pursue her dream of being a vet after Bs in Advanced Higher Biology and Chemistry.

She said: “I had a conditional offer and needed Bs in both subjects. I wasn’t sure how it would go, so I’m really happy with the results.”

After achieving As in Advanced English, Higher History, Higher Psychology and a B in Advanced Drama, Emma Dunne, 18, will be heading to Glasgow to study English literature and film and TV.

She said: “You’re only supposed to do three subjects, but I really wanted to do drama, so I did it and basically had no free periods. And it was quite stressful. I might have had all As if I hadn’t been so stubborn and let drama go, but I wanted something to show for all the stress I went through.”

St Luke’s headteacher Christine Downie said: “I’m delighted with the results and with the breadth of study we’ve been able to offer our young people at Advanced Higher. Despite being a small school we’ve been able to meet their needs with a variety of subjects and that has been fantastic.”

At Eastwood High School, siblings Erin and Clare Wallace have balanced sport with studies. Erin represented Scotland in triathlon at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games this year and also finished seventh recently in the 1500m at the World Junior Championships. The 18-year-old, who achieved five Higher As in S5, has added two As at Advanced Higher, as well as a Higher A  achieved through a college course.

Erin said: “This means I now have a lot of options open to me now. With the Commonwealth Games this year and all the training, I had a lot of commitments to juggle. 

“The school was really supportive which helped me manage my time effectively.”

Clare, 15, is part of the Triathlon Scotland Academy and is keen to follow in her sister’s footsteps. She scored nine As at National 5, and said: “Erin got her results first, so I was just hoping I had done as well. I was waiting nervously and when I saw I’d got all As I was a bit shocked – but obviously delighted.”

Meanwhile, at Williamwood High School, a teenager who was given a 1% chance of recovery from a horrific ski crash has celebrated gaining seven As.

Ross Nesbitt, 16, was left in a coma for four weeks after a skiing accident in December 2016 while training in Austria. 

With doctors only predicting a 1% chance of a full recovery, Ross has bounced back to achieve seven As and one B in his National 5 exams – and also returned to competitive skiing. 

Ross said: “After my accident I had to learn how to do basic tasks again, such as walking and talking, but when I did eventually return to school they were really helpful. 

“I really did not expect to get the results I have. I’m really pleased.”