Top of the class: Sheffield twins celebrate amazing GCSE results at High Storrs School - VIDEO

There was double the reason to celebrate at High Storrs School today, as twins Alfie and Joe Fitzgerald opened their GCSE results side by side – and discovered just how close their ‘healthy’ rivalry had been.

Alfie achieved a clean sweep of grade 9s alongside an A in Additional Maths, while brother Joe walked away all 9s apart from one 8, plus an A in Additional Maths.

The pair had revised together in the run-up to the exams, pushing one another to work harder.

When asked about whether there was some healthy competition between the brothers, Joe joked: “Maybe not that healthy.”

Despite Alfie narrowly pipping his brother on the day, both look set for impressive futures.

Both agreed that the months of revision had paid off.

“We worked hard, it was intense, but definitely worth it,” said Alfie.

While they may have been inseparable during revision season, their paths will soon split.

Joe hopes to study Maths, Modern History, French and Philosophy at A level, while Alfie is leaning towards Geography, Economics, Maths and French.

Keeping it in the family

It wasn’t just the Fitzgeralds making their parents proud.

Arlo Ovenden also collected a superb set of results just a week after his older brother Ellis secured a place at Cambridge on A Level results day.

Asked what it was like having two siblings revising under the same roof, Arlo smiled: “Hectic – but we all got it done. Our parents are very proud of both of us.”

Arlo is hoping to go on to smash his A levels too, and study engineering at Russel Group University.

He will also be borrowing some of Ellis’ organisational tricks to get ready for A Levels.

“I’ll be copying his techniques for sure – his organisation, and making sure I am starting my revision from September,” he said.

Hard work pays off

Among other High Storrs high-flyers was Izzy Dunn, who secured five grade 9s, three 8s and a 6.

She also took dance a year early, gaining an 8.

Izzy, who juggled a busy schedule of dancing alongside revision, credited her results to consistency.

“I worked quite hard, starting early on and improving across everything,” she explained.

“Every Friday I’d revise with a friend at a café, and I’d go through my flashcards every day.”

Though she loves contemporary dance, Izzy’s future looks set to follow a more scientific path.

“I’m more interested in chemistry for future studies– maybe chemistry or maths at university, and possibly chemical engineering,” she said.

School celebrates record haul

High Storrs has plenty to cheer about, with this year’s cohort bringing home over 1,000 grades at 7 or above.

Almost half of all grades achieved were grade 7 or higher, with outstanding performances across science, history, geography and maths.

Headteacher Claire Tasker said: “We are so proud of our students. To maintain high outcomes across such a wide range of subjects could be a challenge, but these incredible results speak for themselves.”

Director of KS4 Tom Highnett added: “Amazing results from amazing students! These are achievements that are setting young people up for life. These grades open doors.”

For High Storrs this summer, success clearly runs in families – and sometimes, in twos.