Saffron Walden County High School celebrated another successful year of A-level results this morning (August 13), with a record 15 per cent of all grades at the A* standard.

The vast majority of students will be going to their first choice university, which include Oxford and Cambridge, with 46 achieving at least three A or A* grades, compared with 42 last year.

Ten students gained at least three A*s; Bryony Coombs, Alexandra Croft, Emily Dan, Elinor Downham, Alice Eddershaw, Sean Goddard, Ellen Paterson, Clare Redman, Rebecca Tomlinson, and Natalie Wood.

The school achieved an 100 per cent pass rate at grades A*-E, and 92 per cent of pupils were within the A*-C range. 69 per cent of students achieved A*-B grades, with 36 per cent receiving A* or A grades. The results are almost exactly in line with last year’s results, with a two per cent increase in grades at the A* standard.

John Hartley, headteacher, said: “These outstanding results, achieved by students with a wide range of prior attainment at GCSE, reflect some inspirational teaching, a huge amount of hard work by students and staff, and the continued focus by the sixth form team on providing personalised support to maximise the achievement of each individual.”

Helen Cox, director of sixth form, said: “I am enormously proud of the achievements of all our students – on an individual level many of them exceeded our expectations, sometimes in the face of difficult personal circumstances.”