An Oxford school has been ranked among the top 100 comprehensives in the country, write Philip Seton-Anderson and Roseena Parveen.

The Cherwell School in Marston Ferry Road, which achieved its best A-level results this week - a 96 per cent pass rate - has been rated by unofficial sources as one of the elite.

In The Guardian's table of the top 100 state comp- rehensive schools, The Cherwell School was ranked 59th. It came 80th in The Times's top 500 list and 53rd in The Daily Telegraph's table.

Lord Williams's School in Thame, The Cheney School, Oxford, and Matthew Arnold School, Oxford, also appeared in The Times's list.

All the tables make the Cherwell School's A-level results the best of all the state schools in Oxfordshire.

Of the school's 410 entries, 58 per cent gained A to B grades and 23 candidates achieved straight A grades. At least 13 pupils will now take up places at Oxford or Cambridge. Cherwell School headteacher Martin Roberts said: said: "These results are a tribute to the hard-working students and to their skilled and dedicated teachers."

Several of the school's students were marked out by the examining board, AQA, as among the best in the country.

The school's sixth form director, Kevin Heritage, said: "It's not the first time we've done well over the past few years.

"We are really delighted that this year we have improved our performance considerably on last year. We've moved from about 70th place to 59th, which is a great achievement by all our students taking their A-levels."

Official league tables will not be available until the autumn.

Head of learning at Oxfordshire Local Education Authority, Rick Harmes, said: "We haven't had the time to compile our own league tables or look at individual schools and we wouldn't expect to have tables ready before mid-October.

"I think at this time we should be celebrating the achievements of all A-level students across Oxfordshire and the work of their families and parents in helping them perform so well this year." Meanwhile, Eleanor Maier was among the top achievers at Wheatley Park School, Oxford.

She was awarded a special commendation in her Latin A-level. and will be studying Classics at Wadham College, Oxford.

Eleanor was one of five students who achieved three or more A grades at the school, where the overall pass rate was more than 90 per cent.

At D'Overbroeck's College, Oxford, half the students achieved A or B grades.

A college spokesman said: "We were also very pleased with our first set of results for the new AS exams. The pass rate was a satisfying 96 per cent."

Oxfordshire County Council's education director Graham Badman said: "The fact that many have exceeded previous levels of attainment must be a great source of satisfaction to both teachers and pupils alike."