Congratulations to all those receiving academic results today.
It appears that no matter how many years it's been since you collected your own school results, it's a memory that stays with us all- and all for different reasons.
Some get the results they hoped for, others the grades they could have only dreamed of, and the opposite is just as true, there will be many today that don't receive their expected results.
Regardless of the letters and numbers on that little piece of paper, every young person this year has a lot to celebrate, being the first year of students to sit GCSE examinations in a post-pandemic world (not to mention the impact of Covid itself on the education system over the last few years) is no easy task, but it's something to be extremely proud of.
Results Day. / Image: Leeds City Council
Pupils have been warned that grades were generally higher during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 than they were in 2019, due to the different assessment system used.
Whilst the exam boards haven't gone back to their usual way of marking and grades have been set at a midpoint between summer 2019 and 2021, it is expected that the results will be lower than those from non-examination years.
Leeds city council issued a statement earlier today reminding pupils, teachers and loved ones that it's been a different way of learning and examining and because of these changes, it is not possible to make comparisons between results this year and previous years
This marks the first year of GCSE exams since 2019. / Image: Unsplash
For instance, pupils in maths and physics had formulae tables rather than being expected to learn them off by heart.
Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, culture and education, Councillor Jonathan Pryor said: “Congratulations and well done to everyone who has taken their GCSEs this year. We are seeing some brilliant results that are very well deserved. Pupils have done themselves and the city proud and I am particularly impressed by the resilience they have shown throughout the pandemic when their education was significantly disrupted.
“These results are not only a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our young people, but also their families, schools, colleges and other learning settings that have supported them to secure these results.”
For all students, regardless of their results, this marks an emotional day that finalises their past years of study- and each should be proud of their achievements.
After closing for the entire second day, The Warehouse stage at Leeds Festival has once again been forced to evacuate.
One of the most anticipated dance acts of the day has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns just moments before the set.
Sheffield DJ Silva Bumpa was due to take to The Warehouse stage today at 1:30pm, but the set was cancelled due to overcrowding.
It's not the first time this has happened at Leeds Festival 2026, as yesterday Omar+'s set was cancelled due to the same issue and the stage was subsequently closed for the rest of the day.
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Silva Bumpa said: "So so sorry Leeds Fest but due to over crowding my set was cancelled last min I was just behind the stage and got told right before such a massive shame."
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading on Friday afternoon, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
If yesterday is anything to go by, we wouldn't be surprised if The Warehouse was closed for the rest of the day which means anticipated sets from Rossi and Mall Grab will also be cancelled.
‘Actually lost for words’ – huge artist speaks out as Leeds Festival set is cancelled due to overcrowding
Clementine Hall
For the second day in a row, a huge set has been cancelled due to overcrowding at Reading and Leeds Festival.
Day two of the festival and there's some pretty disappointed ravers hanging their head as one of the biggest dance music sets of the day is cancelled.
Omar+, a rising British electronic DJ and producer, was due to play on the brand-new Warehouse stage at Reading yesterday and Leeds today.
Yesterday's set was cancelled last minute due to overcrowding, and low and behold the same has happened here in Leeds.
Announcing the sad news to his story, Omar+ said "Actually lost for words. My Leeds set has been cancelled due to overcrowding."
He then went on to show a screenshot of a text message, reading: "I've never seen something like this in my entire life where two shows back to back are cancelled due to overcrowding."
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading yesterday, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
Sophie Smith -
25th August 2022 
