Rachel said: “Congratulations to all A Level students in Redditch who are receiving their results today. I hope all your hard work has paid off. If you didn’t get the grades you wanted, don’t panic, there are thousands of university places available through clearing. A Levels are incredibly hard so be proud of your achievements, no matter what grades you received.
“Today is an important reminder as well that employers here in Redditch and across the country who want the best talent need to rely less on exam grades and more on other skills that are useful for the job, including vocational qualifications and apprenticeships.
“Whatever you decide to do now your time at school has come to end, whether you’re heading straight into a job, starting an apprenticeship or heading to university, I want to wish you all the very best of luck for the future.”