Shropshire youngsters are scoring good GCSE and A-level exam results, official figures showed today.

More students are achieving five GCSEs, including English and maths, while nationally about one in eight scored at least three A* or A grades at A-level this year. Department for Education figures today showed 59.7 per cent of pupils in the Shropshire Council area got five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C.

In the Telford & Wrekin Council area this figure was slightly lower at 57.6 per cent.

Pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate in Shropshire stood at 18.5 per cent this year and 16.1 per cent in Telford & Wrekin.

But the number of candidates aged 16 to 18 getting three or more A*-A grades at A-level, applied A-level and double awards was higher in Telford & Wrekin with 12 per cent compared to Shropshire which was 9.2 per cent.

Karen Moore, headteacher of Shrewsbury’s Wakeman School, which is appealing a decision to close it by Shropshire Council, said it had record-breaking GCSE results this year.

Officials saw 61.5 per cent of their pupils gain at least five A*s to Cs, including English and maths, which was 16 per cent higher than the results for 2010.

A total of 76 per cent managed at least five passes at A* to C when English and maths were not included.

Mrs Moore said: “I am pleased to say Wakeman was above the national average. I think it’s a combination of good teaching, the appropriate support for children to make sure that they get the results they deserve and hard work on behalf of the students who are working extremely hard these days in order to get good GCSEs.”

Mrs Moore said support from parents was also vital.

National statistics released yesterday showed almost six in 10 youngsters (58.3 per cent) achieved five C grades or higher, including the two core subjects, this summer, a 4.8 per cent rise on last year, when 53.5 per cent achieved the threshold.

The rise in GCSE results is believed to have been fuelled by an increase in the numbers of international GCSEs (iGCSES) accredited, many of which have had large number of entries.

By Russell Roberts