Norfolk teenagers are celebrating record provisional A-level results.

Norfolk County Council said early results for the Norfolk's secondary schools and academies show that 76pc of A-levels results in the county have been graded A*-C – up from 75pc on results day last year.

The results do not include Norfolk's further education and sixth form colleges or independent schools.

The figure compares to an East of England total of 78.1pc of A-levels being at A*-C.

The Joint Council for Qualifications said that across England the percentage of A*-C grades was 77.2pc, up from 76.7pc last year.

James Joyce, chairman of the council's Children's Services Committee, said: 'We want every child and young person in Norfolk to have an excellent education and today's results show that by working together, the county's secondary schools are well on the way to making this a reality

'The young people collecting their results today should be really proud of what they have achieved and I congratulate them and their teachers for the commitment and hard work that has led to today's A Level, AS Level and vocational results.

'The focus now will be to scrutinise these results thoroughly so that we can see where further support and challenge might be needed so that we can make sure that every student in the county is achieving the first class education that they deserve.'

Commenting on today's results, Brian Conway, chairman of Norfolk Secondary Education Leaders, said: 'Students across Norfolk deserve praise for their hard work which has delivered these improved A-level results for the county.

'There is a relentless drive among all providers of post-16 education in Norfolk to provide the best opportunities and education for our young people and this will continue as we strive to build upon the improvements of this year.

'On behalf of Norfolk Secondary Education Leaders I wish every young person the very best for the future as they progress into employment, university or apprenticeships.'.

Advice for young people

• Students that need to know what to do next can visit the students' area of the UCAS website at www.ucas.com.

• Norfolk's careers information, advice and opportunities website at www.helpyouchoose.org contains pages of local apprenticeships, jobs and other vacancies aimed at 16-19 year olds.

• Norfolk's careers information, advice & opportunities website www.helpyouchoose.org describes a range of courses available to young people post A levels; degrees, Foundation Degrees, HNDs and other courses at the same level. They can tailor their search by educational establishment, subject, qualification or location. They'll also find helpful information on how to apply and the different sources of finance available to fund higher education studies.

• The National Apprenticeships Service website at www.apprenticeships.org.uk also has details of locally available apprenticeship schemes.

• Norfolk County Council also has its new Future You app, to help support young people to match their skills with professions and courses.

• Students can also telephone a careers advisor at the National Careers Service from 8am to 10pm on 0800 100 900.

• Those not fixed up with further education, employment or training for September and need help and advice can contact Norfolk County Council's NEET helpline on 0344 800 8022 (option 1) from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

• Advice for students on next steps is also available directly from schools and colleges and Norfolk County Council's guidance advisers (schools and colleges will have local contact details).