All schools celebrate as standards hit new high

This year, provisional figures released by the Joint Council for General Qualifications showed the pass rate rose for the 18th year running - by 0.7 per cent to 89.8 per cent - while the proportion of A-grades went up 0.8 per cent to 18.6 per cent.

_____________________

At Headington School, in Oxford, there was a special celebration when identical twins Nicola and Melissa Blackford, 18, each gained four straight A grades.

Students at Headington School, Oxford, celebrate record results

The twins, from Headington, were in good company. The school achieved a 99.5 per cent pass rate this year, with 27 out of 71 girls achieving A grades.

Headteacher Hilary Fender said: "These are record results for us - better than we hoped." _____________________

At Cheney Upper School the pass rate was more than 90 per cent. Grades A and B were achieved by 43 per cent of students and five achieved grade A in three or more subjects. Six students were awarded a distinction in their GNVQ advanced level exams.

The school's first AS-level results were also promising with eight pupils achieving grade A in four or more subjects.

Headteacher Alan Lane said: "The students and staff have worked very hard and I'm delighted." _____________________

Oxford School, in Belbroughton Road, achieved a 99.54 per cent pass rate among its 65 candidates. Nearly 70 per cent of pupils earned A grades, while 89 per cent were awarded As or Bs.

Felicity Briggs, 18, from north Oxford, got 45 UCAS points, allowing her to accept her offer of a place at Trinity College, Oxford, to read chemistry.

_____________________

At Milham Ford County Girls Upper School, in Harberton Mead, Headington, year-on-year improvements showed no let-up. Headteacher Anne Peterson said: "It's the best ever year we've had." _____________________

Jamie Franklin jumps for joy after getting his results at Magdalen College School, Oxford At Magdalen College School, sixth-former Simon Stevens achieved 15 A grades in his AS-level exams. The school was celebrating record A-level results and an 82 per cent pass rate at grades A and B in the new AS-levels.

_____________________

*Staff at the joint Didcot Girls' School-St Birinus Boys School sixth form had to collect their results from the town's Royal Mail sorting office after they were among more than 300 schools whose results failed to arrive. The package from EdExcel examination board eventually arrived at 11.30am after frantic phone calls.

At A-level, 56 per cent of students achieved A, B and C passes, including many who received four or more A grades.

Four students Clair Murray, Alison Pickford, Jo Tate and Karl Huber have won places at either Oxford or Cambridge university. _____________________

Brian Pickett and Charlotte Munro achieved three A-grades each at Bicester Community College *Students at Bicester Community College had to wait an extra hour for their A-level results because of problems at Edexcel. Eventually, Brian Prickett and Charlotte Munroe, 18, learned they had each got three A grades. Sarah Nutt, 18, achieved two As and a B.

_____________________

*Staff at Lord Williams's School, Thame, were delighted with a 93 per cent pass rate after entering 144 students for A-levels. Forty per cent passed with A and B grades.

Six students - Lizzie Bates, Andrew Boyd, Charlotte Eaton, Stuart Jefford, Gareth H Jones and Gemma Watts - gained at least three grade As.

Laura Daniels, Benjamin Dello, Robin Fairey, Elizabeth Head, Helen Jones, Ben Motteram, Andrew Mullen, Emma Nicholson, Kathryn Stratton and Ellen Ward got three or more straight As.

_____________________

Successful A-level candidates at King Alfred's Community and Sports College, in Wantage, maintained last year's record results with a pass rate of 93 per cent - four per cent higher than the national average.

Tom Simonite, left, Frances Briscoe and Henry Bucklow, of King Alfred's School, Wantage, celebrate their results Eight students gained straight As in three or four subjects: Conor Breen, Frances Briscoe, Henry Bucklow, Laura Cleaver, David Croft, Marcus Haddrell and Katrin Pechstedt, all from Wantage, and David Kneale, from Grove. _____________________

*Abingdon School achieved the second-best results in its history with a 75.5 per-cent pass rate in grades A and B, 52.2 per-cent in grade A and a 26.75 average in UCAS points.

Ralf Bader earned six grade As and a merit in STEP-level chemistry; Andrew Lui, five grade As and a merit in STEP chemistry; Sebastian Allen, four grade As and a B and Terence Ting who achieved four grade As and a B. _____________________

Meanwhile almost half the results (45 per-cent) were grade As for pupils of St Helen and St Katharine's School in Abingdon. More than a third of pupils - 29 out of 74 - gained 30 or more UCAS points, the equivalent of three grade As.

Nearly 77 per cent of pupils achieved A and B grades, those required by the most popular universities and eight girls will take places at Oxford and Cambridge.

The first year of results for the new AS-levels showed more than 50 per cent at grade A and 80 per cent at grades A and B combined. _____________________

*Burford School's headteacher, Patrick Sanders, was doubly delighted with this year's A-level results. They were the best the school has produced - and his daughter Mary was among the top pupils.

Overall, students achieved 96.3 per cent at Grades A to E and 65.7 per cent at grades A to C.

Viriato de Oliveira gained four As and one C, Oliver Croxon earned three As and one B, Mary Sanders achieved three As and one C, Tom Davis won four As and one D, Laurence Higgs got three As and a D and Stephen Wilson landed three As.

Mr Sanders said: "I am delighted - and I am very proud of Mary." _____________________

At Henry Box School, in Witney, five pupils, Hannah Fox, Claire Handley, James Kenyon, Michael Rance and Jonathan Tupman, gained As in all subjects. Overall, 94 per cent passed at Grades A to E and 60.2 per cent at grades A to C.

_____________________

Chipping Norton School student Anna Ruddle not only secured four grade As but also three special awards from the examination board for one of the top five marks in the country in three of her subjects - maths, further maths and theatre studies. She also got an A in biology. Fellow students Paul Johnson, Sebastian Law, Adam Moxley, Dorrie Johnson, Kate Rickard and Maggie von Kaenel passed two or more subjects at grade A. Maggie also won a special award for getting one of the five top marks in English literature. Overall, more than half the passes were at A and B grades.

_____________________

At Marlborough School, Woodstock, students achieved a 90 per cent pass rate at grades A to E - including a 100 per cent rate in 14 of the 20 subjects.

_____________________

At Bartholomew School, Eynsham, students achieved a 94 per cent pass rate at grades A to E and 42 per cent at grades A and B. Alex Heyes gained three As and one B and Adam Peltan three grade As. _____________________

*Wallingford School's results bucked the national trend, with the boys doing better than the girls. The overall pass rate was 91 per cent, compared with 87 per cent in 2000. Thirty-seven per cent of grades were As and Bs, and fifty-six per cent were Cs or above. Three pupils got at least three As - Miriam Wood, AAAB, Tim Holloway, AAABB, and Becky Wright, AAA. _____________________

*Banbury School's overall pass rate of 95 per cent was significantly higher than the 90 per cent national rate.

A total of 58 per cent of students gained A and B grades in physics compared with 44 per cent nationally, and 43 per cent got A and B grades in technology compared with 31 per cent nationally. All students studying Spanish achieved A or B grades.

Lucy Fortescue, 18, who sat A-levels at Tudor Hall independent girls boarding school at Wykham Park, near Banbury, gained one of the top five marks in the country in History of Art. A total of 728 candidates sat the paper.

*No one from Oxfordshire County Council was available to comment.