THOUSANDS of East Lancashire students were celebrating their GCSE exam results with many local schools reporting above-average success rates.

St Augustine's, in Billington, reported that more than 54 per cent of its pupils gained five or more A-C grades and had an overall pass rate of 60 per cent at grades A-C.

One pupil at the independent Westholme School, in Blackburn, was on cloud nine after scoring nine starred A's -- the highest possible achievement.