Shropshire and Mid Wales GCSE results round-up

Thousands of young people had arrived at the county's schools yesterday from as early as 8am yesterday, ready to open the brown paper envelope which could set them on the path towards their dreams and ambitions.

Here we catch up with some of the pupils.

Thomas Telford pupil Joshua Elwell,16, of Finchfield in Wolverhampton, said he was thrilled to have received the rewards for his hard work.

He said: "I got five A*s and an A* distinction, and a B. I am really happy with my results as I wasn't expecting to get what I got. I put a lot of hard work into my exams and I so happy with these results."

Isabella Beaumont, 16, of Madeley, Telford, said she was delighted after being told she had some of the best grades at the school.

She said: "I am very happy with these results and I just found out I got some of the highest marks in the year which is a huge shock.

"I am so pleased with my results and I worked so hard for them so I feel like it is deserved."

Isabella will now stay on at the school's sixth form, where she will study English literature, French, maths and history at A-level.

Newport Girls High School said they were thrilled to have achieved a record 100 per cent pass rate.

The pass rate was made up of 82.7 per cent of grades being between A* and A, with 51.3 per cent at A* alone – topping last year's results by about five per cent.

More than 14 per cent of the students received B grades, and just 2.9 per cent achieved a C.

As well as GCSE results 18 girls also sat AS Level ICT exams and achieved an A, while 10 out of the 13 girls who sat further maths exams earned an A* distinction.

Ros Garner, headteacher of the school, said: "The work ethic, commitment and determination of this cohort has really paid off.

"Among this high achieving group of girls there are also talented musicians and sportswomen.

"Their GCSE results will give them strong foundations on which to build at A Level and they should make the transition to the sixth form with confidence and high aspirations.

"These are our best results and I am incredibly proud of all the girls and staff for this level of achievement.

"I would like to congratulate every individual student and thank the staff at the school for their hard work and dedication."

Heather Todd, 16, from Newport, earned a total of eight A*s and three As, making her the highest achieving student at the school.

She said: "I am shocked, I didn't expect to get these grades at all. I have never been so happy, and I can now enjoy my weekend at V Festival.

"I will be staying on at sixth form here, and I am looking forward to starting now."

Chumani Ward, 16, from Ightfield, in Whitchurch, said she was shocked to get an A* in biology.

She said: "I really wasn't expecting these results, especially an A* in biology, and I actually got 100 per cent in three of the units and 99 per cent in the other. I'm so happy with these results."

Rachel Dear, 16, from Newport, said a lot of hard work went into getting five A*s and four As.

She said: "I am so happy and relieved all my hard work paid off and I got these results. I just wanted to find out, and I am so happy with what I got, I keep smiling."

Hadley Learning Community said it was celebrating further success following what it described as "outstanding exam results".

Headteacher Paul Roberts said: "The school's journey has been a remarkable one and our children, staff, parents and importantly the community are so proud of the achievements made by their school.

Increase

"The year 11s were a hard working, dedicated cohort and I am sure they will follow previous year groups in having individual successes in their lives and careers."

Burton Borough said they were "extremely pleased" with the school's results, which were once again an improvement on the previous year – 62 per cent of pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, a two per cent increase on 2014. In English, 70 per cent of students achieved a grade C or better, with 87 per cent in English literature. In maths 77 per cent of students achieved a grade C or better.

Notable achievers were Ellie Jackson with eight A*s and three As, Katie Roberts with five A*s and six As, and Ruby Wilson with six A*s and five As.

Top of the pile was Alex Swidlehurst who achieved 10 A*s and one A, making him the highest achieving student in the school's history.

Headteacher David Hill said: "I am delighted by this set of results, which continue the steady improvement in recent years.

"This is not an easy time for schools with a considerable number of changes to the curriculum, so another year of improved results is a real credit to all the staff, parents and of course the students. I wish them every success in the future."

Chair of Governors Paul Broomhead said: "Once again, I am really pleased by the results. These are challenging times in schools, however the staff at Burton Borough have once again gone the extra mile and the outcome is clear. Students performance has improved yet again.

On behalf of the Governors I would like to thank all the staff and parents for their support and congratulate the students on their achievements."

Meanwhile, Adams' Grammar School in Newport said it was thrilled with another excellent set of results.

All pupils achieved five GCSEs at A* to C level and many pupils had plenty to celebrate with 24 achieving all A*/A grades.

Headmaster, Gary Hickey said: "All our pupils sit 10 GCSEs including three separate sciences, a language, a humanity and of course maths and the two English courses. I'm delighted that their hard work as well as the hard work and dedication of our teachers has enabled all of them to achieve five good passes at A* to C.

"There have been some outstanding individual performances but I'd like to congratulate every pupil who has worked hard to achieve these results and I look forward to seeing what they achieve as the vast majority of them move into the our Sixth Form and enjoy the new challenges and opportunities available.

"We're also looking forward to welcoming over 70 new pupils from schools across the country who have chosen to join us for their A-Level studies."

Outstanding Individual Performances included Liam Cox, Craig Russell, and Akash Srinivasan all with 10 A*s,

Ravi Chandavarkar, Thomas Cross, William Dolding, James Farley, Dominic Hainsworth, Dominic Henderson, and Christopher Hose achieved nine A*s and one A.

Telford & Wrekin Council said that early analysis of results indicated that there is an improvement in the rates of progress that students have made during their time in secondary school.

The provisional results show that a greater proportion of students have attained five GCSE passes including English and maths at Grade C or better than last year.

A spokesman for the council said that at Hadley Learning Community, the percentage of students making three and four levels of progress has continued to rise and is likely to be well above the national average.

Students at Sutherland Co-operative Academy, which is due to close at the end of this month, were also said to have made good progress – particularly in English. The headline results were up 14 per cent, one of the biggest increases in the borough.

Councillor Paul Watling, cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families, said: "I would like to congratulate all the students on their achievements and thank everyone connected with the schools for their hard work."

At Belvidere School in Shrewsbury headteacher Pete Johnstone said he was delighted with the pupils' efforts, while overjoyed students celebrated their achievements – and relief that the wait was finally over.

A tearful Lucy Grime, 16, who achieved five A*s, three As and one B grade, said she was thrilled with her results.

She said: "I'm absolutely delighted with my grades but also really relieved.

"I will be going to Shrewsbury Sixth Form in September where I'll be studying A-levels in Geography, Biology and English Language and Literature, which I'm really looking forward to."

Hannah Nickless, 16, said she was relieved that the waiting for results was over and will be going on to study maths, geology and physics A-levels at Shrewsbury Sixth Form in September.

She said: "I got six A*s and four As as well as passing a Level 3 qualification.

"I'm just really relieved today is here and I'm pleased with my grades."

Christian Vitale, 16, achieved three A*s, four As, two Bs and a C, and will be attending sixth form in the town next month, where he will be studying biology, chemistry, maths and geology at A-level.

He said: "I'm thrilled and I think I've done very well which is a relief!"

Sixteen-year-old Emma Magee said she felt "chuffed" with her GCSE grades.

She said: "I got three A*s, seven As and two Bs, so I'll be studying history, music and politics at Shrewsbury Sixth Form, which I'm chuffed about."

Mr Johnstone said the school's overall pass rate for five or more A* to C grades – including English and maths – had increased by more than seven per cent from last year.

He said: "We are delighted with these excellent results which are a tribute to the hard work of our students, supported as ever by the tireless efforts of our outstanding staff team."

Geoff Pettengell, executive principal of Shrewsbury's Academies Trust, which includes Sundorne School and Sports College, and The Grange, praised his staff and pupils.

He said: "Shrewsbury Acadamies Trust congratulates all their students on the summer's examination results.

"We are particularly pleased with the outstanding results for the more able students who have produced grades which they and their parents should be justifiably proud of and which reflect the students' hard work and support and encouragement they have been given by both staff and parents over the last two years."

There were two notable achievers at Sundorne with Callum Espley-Clegg gaining 12 A*s and two As, and David John who achieved nine A*s and two As.

At the Grange Sam Mayle achieved two A*s and seven A grades.

Michael Barrett, headteacher at The Priory in Shrewsbury, said the overall results were "pleasing" and he was proud of the efforts of both pupils and staff.

He said: "They were very pleasing results for the school and they reflected the significant industry of the staff and the dedication and commitment of the students.

"There was a prolonged period of revision and many after-school sessions, even some holiday revision lessons.

"Many pupils are very happy because they have achieved at least what they wanted and some more besides.

"Inevitably there are always disappointments because results are very personal. All bar a handful have gained the results they need to go onto the next stage and that is a really important part of what we do."

Shrewsbury High School was also celebrating with headmaster Michael Getty hailing pupils after achieving a 90 per cent pass rate at A* to B grade.

He said: "We are absolutely delighted with these superb results, and in particular the increase in the top A* to B grades that the girls have secured.

"Nearly a quarter of the entire year group received a flawless spread of straight A*/A grades, which is a wonderful achievement and feels all the more overwhelming as it comes so soon after the school's excellent A level results of last week."

Mr Getty said that while results were exceptional across the board, the pupils' stand-out grades in the sciences have seen them excel.

He said: "It is particularly gratifying to see we can help the girls to excel in these areas, as amazingly nearly 70 per cent of all grades in biology, physics and chemistry were awarded the highest A* and A grades.

"Such pass rates are simply superb by any standard however the girls have managed to reach such dizzy heights right across the board.

"In languages, the situation is similar with 71 per cent of all French grades being awarded A* to A and with nearly 90 per cent of our Latin entries achieving a top A* or A grade, which is quite staggering.

"A huge amount of credit goes to our highly skilled teaching staff and we are delighted for all of our girls whose hard work has paid off and of whom we are incredibly proud."

Shrewsbury School congratulated its pupils on a year of "excellent" GCSE results, with 64.3 per cent of the exams awarded an A* or A grade, and more than a third of all exams awarded the top A* grade.

Five pupils – Nicholas Davis, Mathew Hedges, Ben Jones, Andrew Kim and Thomas Tulloch – each gained 10 straight A* grades, and 30 pupils gained either A* or A grades in all their subjects.

At Grove School, in Market Drayton, pupils crowded into the hall to open their results with teachers, friends and parents.

Lydia Greatrix, 16, from Hinstock, near Market Drayton, spoke of her pride at achieving four A*s, four As and three Bs.

She said: "I am probably most proud of my two A*s in chemistry and physics, I hadn't predicted that so I am really pleased.

"I'm going to South Cheshire College next to do A-levels. And I think I'll be going out for a meal with my family to celebrate."

Max Du Bois Jones, also 16, from Norton-in-Hales, achieved five A*s, three As and two Bs.

He said: "I am really pleased with my maths result because I have been working at just below an A* and kept being on the borderline.

"But I got an A* so I am really happy with that. I'm hopefully going to Grove College next to do history, geography, physics and maths.

"It felt like a natural choice to move on to the college."

Sixteen-year-old Zoe Watson from Childs Ercall, near Market Drayton, was thrilled to find she had seven A*s three As and a B.

She said: "I am very pleased, I had no idea I would get this. I was most surprised with French and Spanish, I did not think I would do so well in those."

Zoe will be starting at Grove College in September to study physics, chemistry, history and psychology.

Headteacher Sonia Taylor said: "The hard work and dedication of these students is reflected by their impressive results.

"I would like to thank all our parents for the success as they move on to further education at Grove College apprenticeships and employment."

At the Marches School, in Oswestry, 250 students received their GCSE results, with 74 per cent of students achieving an A* to C grade in English and 71 per cent in maths.

Assistant headteacher Hugh Jackson was thrilled to see every pupil in his English class achieving the top grades of A* or A.

Nia Garry was one of the school's top achievers with nine A* and two A grades.

She said: "I have worked hard and these are the results I was aiming for but it is such a relief to receive them today. I am joining The Marches Sixth Form in September to study A-levels in biology, music, physics and maths."

Lucy Burn said she was "chuffed to bits" with her five A*s and six As.

She said: "My teachers have been so supportive, I can't thank them enough. I can't wait to start in sixth form in September."

Sam Cholmondeley was delighted with his grades, particularly in English.

He said: "It was worth attending all the revision sessions, it's really paid off. Thank you to all my teachers for all the help and support they have given me. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again in September in Sixth Form."

Headteacher Sarah Longville, said: "These exceptional results are a tribute to the incredible hard-work and dedication of the students, staff, parents and governing body. I am so proud of everyone for what they have achieved; they thoroughly deserve these outstanding results."

And today educations chiefs across the region were reminding youngsters that they have plenty of future options – whether in education, training or employment.

But whatever your grades, now is a good time to start thinking ahead.

GCSEs can determine the sixth form or college you go to and build up Ucas points for your university applications.

And some of the top academic universities will be asking for very high A-level grades – AAB or higher – for most courses.

But don't forget there are also Btecs, NVQs, National Diplomas and apprenticeships.

Btecs are a viable alternative route to university if you can't find an A-level course you're happy with, with more than 100,000 students applying to university via this route each year.

"If you've not got the GCSE grades you were perhaps expecting and find you are having to change your plans, first and foremost don't panic," says Chris Scott, principal of Telford College of Arts and Technology.

"You don't necessarily need A-levels to go to university these days, and the choice of vocational studies has never been wider."

Telford College of Arts and Technology is holding a series of advice clinics. Teams of experts were at the college's Wellington campus from 10am to 4pm today and next Wednesday to explain the courses on offer.

There is a wide range of further education courses on offer in the new academic year, from electronics and engineering to computing and construction, hairdressing and hospitality, sports, business, travel and tourism.

There are also courses for students seeking a career in public uniformed services like the police, fire service, Army, navy or RAF.

For more details about the advice clinics, call TCAT's Learner Services team on (01952) 642237, email studserv@tcat.ac.uk, or see www.tcat.ac.uk

At Sir John Talbot's School in Whitchurch, every single pupil gained at least five GCSE passes – an increase of 11 per cent last year.

The results were the first since the school became an academy and joined the Marches Academy Trust last year, and teachers said they were thrilled to see the number of A* and A grades up by nine per cent from 2014.

Headteacher David O'Toole said: "I am delighted for our students today, as they celebrate their outstanding achievements. I am also thrilled for the staff who are dedicated and committed to providing the young people of Whitchurch and beyond with the highest possible standard of education."

At Ellesmere College, nearly a third of all results were the top grades of A* to A, and more than half of all grades were in the A* to B range.

Brendan Wignall, headteacher said: "On completing their GCSEs today it is clear that our pupils have set down an excellent foundation on which to build their sixth form career.

"These results are a credit to them, to their teachers and, of course, to their parents."

The college also congratulated some pupils who achieved outstanding results – Olivia Gardner from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire achieved six A* and four A grades, while Ben Palmer from Baschurch secured three A*, four A and two grades and achieved an A grade in the advanced level of additional mathematics.

At The Corbet School in Baschurch, 68 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades including English and Maths, and 78 per cent achieved five or more A* to C grades overall.

Headteacher Phil Adams congratulated pupils and said he was "delighted" with the dedication shown by students.

Meanwhile at Thomas Adams School, in Wem, pupils were thrilled to see more outstanding results with 72 per cent of all grades at C or above and nearly 20 per cent at an A* or A grade.

More than 10 per cent of students gained an A* in Maths and headteacher Elizabeth Dakin said she was over the moon.

She said: "Everyone has worked very hard this year and there have been some excellent results.

"Worthy of particular mention are Megan Day, who gained 9 A*s and 2 As and Beth Ellis, who has achieved 8 A*s, 1 A and 1 B, as well as representing England at Fencing.

Moreton Hall School near Oswestry celebrated what its principal described as "a vintage year for GCSE results", with nearly 40 per cent of pupils achieving straight As and A*s.

Overall 40 per cent of the exams were passed with an A* grade and 71 per cent at A* and A.

In what was the school's best set of GCSE results for five years, computer studies, Spanish, Latin and Chinese were among the subjects achieving 100 per cent A* to A grades.

School principal Jonathan Forster said: "These are outstanding results that reflect exceptional students, excellent teaching and Moreton's commitment to rigorous academic standards."

Twins Ella and Grace Newbrook celebrated their 16th birthday by collecting outstanding GCSE results. Between them they achieved 11 A*s and nine As.

The sisters, from Whittington, near Oswestry, will now go on to study A Levels at Moreton in Chinese and biology, with Ella also studying history and maths, and Grace taking physics and geography.

Adcote School in Little Ness was among the best performing schools in the county with a 99.6 per cent pass rate, with 88 per cent of all grades at A* to C and almost 40 per cent of all grades at A* or A. Many pupils took IGCSE exams, and nearly 90 per cent of pupils achieved the equivalent of at least five A* to C passes.

Pupils at Oswestry School celebrated excellent results, with 72 per cent earning five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths. Even more impressive, a third of all GCSE entries were graded A* and A.

There were some outstanding individual performances as Alexandra Dewing, from Nesscliffe, achieved six A*s and four As and Hayley Martin, from Newtown, gained eight A*s, an A and a B.

More than a quarter of our boys secured grades all at A*, A or B, including Luc Jarzynski, from Oswestry, who achieved an A*, seven As and a B.

Emily Lacey, who is from Belgium and stays at the school as a boarder, was delighted with her results of six As, two Bs and a C.

She said: "They're better than I thought they would be. I'm planning to stay at Oswestry and do maths, biology, design technology and PE at A level now. I told my parents and they're very happy."

James Wigley, from Oswestry, said he plans to stay on for A levels as well, to study PE, history, biology and business studies.

He said: "I got two As, two Bs and three Cs, but I'm really pleased with them."

Julian Noad, headmaster of Oswestry School said: "As ever, pupils have worked incredibly hard and one can only admire the commitment and determination of those young people who manage to achieve high grades across such a broad range of disciplines."

GCSE results at The Maelor School in Penley were again some of the best in the country. Three quarters of all students achieved the important 5A*-C including English and maths measure.

Headteacher Simon Ellis said: "Our results have always been strong but this year the pupils have excelled themselves."

At Ludlow School there was elation as pupils celebrated the best results in its history.

Phil Poulton, headteacher said: "This group of Ludlow School students will be able to say "we were the best-ever" –until next year, perhaps!

"Despite the downward pressure on results nationally, the students and staff of 2015 have achieved our best-ever whole-school figures, and our highest English and Maths results."

He said 67 per cent achieved A* to C grades in English and maths, with nearly 80 per cent reaching their expected level, and improvement of more than 10 percent on last year.

"Over one third of our students exceeded their challenging targets, and all of these figures are significantly above the national averages, and are clearly outstanding," he said. "Our tracking systems indicated that this cohort would break all records, but they have moved on to another level, completely. The hard work during lessons, as well as the after-school sessions, holiday boosters and individual tuition, has really paid off.

"I would like to thank our parents for their support of these programmes."

Pupil, Conor Hardacre, 16, was celebrating achieving a brace of A*s and As.

The Bristol-born science buff, who now lives in Ludlow achieved six A*s, in chemistry, physics, history, French, English language and English literature, along with four As and one B. He will now be going to Hereford Sixth Form College to study maths, physics, chemistry and biology.

He said: "I'm happy. I was ambitious and it worked out – I was confident I would get good grades and I'm glad I got the results I did."

He said he was hoping to go on to study medicine in later life.

"I've always been torn between medicine and astrophysics," he said, "at the moment it's medicine I want to do, but I'll have to wait and see if that will change.

"But it's all science – I'm just fascinated in how the world works, I like breaking things down and I like the logic of it. I like problem solving, so science is a natural fit for me."

Also At Ludlow School, 17-year-old Rowan Pritchard was overjoyed to have achieved all A* to B grades.

The Leintwardine pupil achieved A*s in biology and RE, as well as five As and three Bs.

She said she had done better than expected, especially as she had only started at the school in the last few years to finish her GCSEs – after living in London, Wales, Bulgaria and Greece during her life, for most of it being home-schooled.

"My dad said I've done really well for someone with no formal education!" she said.

One of her As was in history which she discovered a passion for rather late in her school days, she said.

"When I was revising for history I suddenly realised I was enjoying it – and I thought that was a sign I should do it," she said. She will be taking the subject, along with art, chemistry, and philosophy and ethics, at Hereford Sixth Form College this autumn.

She said her future career was as-yet undecided, but she had considered going into journalism or publishing in some way.

Pupils, staff and parents were also celebrating the results at Oldbury Wells School in Bridgnorth.

Overall 99 per cent of students achieved five or more GCSE grades, with the results at grade C or above standing at 69 per cent in English and 65 per cent in Maths. Twenty four Oldbury Wells students achieved five or more A / A* GCSE grades, including Leah Smart with eight A*s and three As, Matt Dutton with five A*s and six As, Megan Herbert with six A*s and four As, Beth Herbert with one A* and eight As, Ellie Jameson with five A*s and five As, Ellie Baker with three A*s and six As, Lily Hodgkiss with three A*s and five As, and Grace Smith with two A*s and seven As.

Headteacher Sarah Godden said: "We would like to pass on our congratulations to our students again this year.

"We have seen our results rise in some areas and drop in others. We are especially pleased with both the progress measures for our pupils and also the performance of the top end. Kieran Morgan, 16, from The Hawthorns in Bridgnorth, achieved six A grades and four B grades, and said his results were better than expected. He said: "I had a cold and hay-fever during some of the exams and sneezing repeatedly when you are trying to concentrate is not good.

"Exams are stressful and the revision was hard work – but we had done enough mock exams to prepare us and once I had taken the exams I could switch off, because it was out of my hands then.

"I am now going into the sixth form at Oldbury to study Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics; and after that I am hoping to go to university and study science or medicine."

Olivia Wright, from Featherstone in Wolverhampton, came to collect her results with her mother Catherine.

She achieved seven A grades and three B grades and is going on to study Geography, Psychology, English Literature and Biology at Oldbury's sixth form.

Olivia said: "The exams were tough and to be honest I didn't think I would get good results, so when I saw the grades I was so pleased – as was my mom."

Catherine Wright said she was delighted at her daughter's results and said that was due to the school she went to.

She said: "My son Luke also went to Oldbury Wells and he is now at university in Cardiff – both my children have made great friends here and have loved their time at this fantastic school."

Jon Blackburn, from Stanley Lane, Bridgnorth achieved 10 passes, with three at A, five at B and one at C.

He said: "I was reasonably confident that I would do okay and didn't let myself get too stressed – I knew I had had done my best, so couldn't have done any more. I will be studying Geology, Geography and Biology in the sixth form here and hope that can lead into a career as an outdoor instructor."

Lauren Taylor, 16, from Penn in Wolverhampton, said she had been very worried when she opened her result envelope and at first she couldn't focus on the paper that listed her grades.

Achieving a Distinction star BTEC in Music and GCSE grades of five A, three B and one C, she said: "I was thrilled when I finally saw how I had done.

"Although I had done a lot of revision, I wasn't that confident going into my exams, so it was great to see that all my hard work had paid off. I am going into the sixth form and I am hoping to work towards a career as a barrister – I love it at this school and when I left primary school couldn't have imagined I would be standing here with these results today."

William Brookes School in Much Wenlock saw seen an improvement in its GCSE results from last year. Sixty three per cent of pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades, including English and Maths.

More than 50 per cent of students gained five or more A* to B grades with nearly 20 per cent gaining five five or more A or A* grades. Almost all students gained five or more passes at A*to G including English and Maths.

Thirty three per cent of students also gained the gold standard English Baccalaureate, consisting of passes in English, Maths, two Sciences, one of History and Geography and a modern foreign language – which is a record for the school.

Geoff Renwick, the head teacher, said: "There were some stunning individual performances, with eleven students gaining 10 or more A/A* grades, 25 gaining seven or more and lots of other students achieving well above their predictions"

Notable achievers were Isaac James and Rebecca Kay with 10 A*s, two Distinctions and one A, Tom Grant with eight A*s, two Distinctions and two As, Jake Carter with nine A*s, two Distinctions and one A, Harry Dowdswell with nine A*, two Distinctions and two As, and Lucy Harper with nine A*, two Merits and one C.

Mr Renwick added: "In terms of progress, and surpassing their predictions were: Eric Williams and Lauren Vickers who were both more than 25 grades better than predictions and Nimi Day Gough and Dani Furber who were around 20 grades above."

Bishop's Castle Community College enjoyed its best results for the last 10 years with 64 per cent of the students achieving five A* to C including English and Maths – up by nine per cent on last year.

Bedstone College also recorded its best results with 96 per cent of pupils achieving at least five A* to C grades.

Headmaster David Gajadharsingh said: "While academic results are only one measure of the success of a school, they are an important one. This year, the Year 11 cohort has outperformed all others previously, returning a staggering statistic: 96% of all students achieved at least 5 GCSEs at A*-C. This is the best on record by some margin.

"In the measure of 5 A*-C (including English and Mathematics), we are also delighted to report another record at 81%. At Bedstone, we teach the traditional subjects that are highly regarded by universities and employers alike. Most of our students take three separate sciences and all of our students must take at least one modern foreign language."

"There was a 91% pass rate at grade C or above across all the sciences; 92% in both French and Spanish and a 100% pass rate in German. There were 100% pass rates in Mathematics, Geography, Music, Sports Science and Double Award Science. These scores would not look out of place in many academically selective schools.

"Not only were the raw results very pleasing, but the Value Added scores are also very impressive with the cohort as a whole far exceeding what was predicted by their baseline ability tests."

Mr Gajadharsingh added: "I am incredibly proud of the students and I must congratulate them and their teachers on achieving such marvellous results. The majority of them will be staying on in the VI Form and they will certainly be well-placed to start their A-levels with great confidence.

"Some might hold the view that independent schools' results are 'propped-up' by very talented non-UK students. Actually, our best performers continue to be local children. The top performer this year was Emily Kindermann from Bucknell who achieved 7A* and 4 A grades. Heather Wylie, another UK student was rewarded with 1A* and 8A grades. Local students Imogen Lee from Knighton, and Lewys Phillips from Craven Arms, were each awarded seven A grades.

"Keeping it the family, Emily's sister Annika took her GCSE German two years early and scored a remarkable 299/300 (A*). It just goes to show what local children can achieve given the right environment."