A MALVERN pupil who recorded a dozen A* grade GCSEs and two grade As stole the show after an impressive round of results at Malvern College.

James Bath was the star pupil as the results were announced yesterday.

Ninety-seven per cent of pupils gained A* to C grades, up from 94 per cent five years ago, and 15 per cent of the papers were graded A*, well ahead of the 4.6 per cent national average.

"It is easy to pick out the high-flyers and they richly deserve their accolades," said Malvern College headmaster Hugh Carson.

"But I am particularly pleased with the across-the-board figures we regularly achieve.

"For instance, all English and French candidates scored at least grade C - with 59 per cent achieving A or A* in English.

"All but one of the year have scored at least a C in maths."

Meanwhile, hard work and dedication by pupils and staff was the recipe for success at Worcester's Bishop Perowne CE High School, according to headmaster Peter Warner.

"We're seeing a steady increase in exam results over four or five years," he said. "I put it down to hard work by the students and staff.

"An awful lot of effort has gone into improving the teaching styles used in the classroom.

"We're delighted with the results."

An impressive 62 per cent of pupils gained A* to C grades

At one Kidderminster school, no one failed a GCSE with 96 per cent of Holy Trinity pupils getting A* to C grades.

And all but one pupil walked away happy from the Birmingham Road school with five or more A* to C marks.

"Holy Trinity continues to maintain standards of excellence," said headmistress Elizabeth Thomas.

"The staff and I are delighted that the hard work of the girls has been rewarded with exceptional results.

"The overall statistic of 38.8 per cent of A and A* is most commendable.

"The girls can look forward to their sixth form studies with confidence."