A-LEVELS: Celebrating bumper crop of top grades

At Worcester's Royal Grammar School 98.9 per cent of the 85 students got grades between A and E.

"It's a record pass rate," said the school's delighted headmaster Walter Jones.

"There's been a lot of talk about girls doing better than boys this year, but that's certainly not our experience."

The principal of the RNIB College in Worcester, Nick Ratcliffe, said the 14 A-level students' performance was "stunning".

"The pass rate was 98 per cent," he said.

One student, Mark Higgins, was to read law at Oxford after getting thee As and a B, he added.

Worcester Sixth Form College had a pass rate of 91.7 per cent.

Deputy principal Michael Kitkat was "delighted for our students".

"It's a tribute to all the work done by students and teachers," he said.

Rachel Fenton, of Northwick, celebrated this morning with four As that have enabled her to go to Cambridge.

"I wasn't too worried, just got a little stressed in the last two days. I was predicted four As but I didn't expect to get them," she said.

Four girls at the city's St Mary's Convent celebrated three straight As.

The school recorded a pass rate of 98.6 per cent from its 22 pupils, slightly down from last year's 100 per cent success.

"It's difficult to argue against the national statistics of girls doing better than boys," said headmaster Chris Garner. "They certainly do seem to work very hard and our girls are very committed to their studies."

At Malvern's Chase High identical twins Emma and Marie Conein were among the 97 students who took A-levels this summer.

Emma got four As and her sister Marie two As a B, and a B at AS level.

Ninety-eight per cent of the students passed, with 53 per cent getting As or Bs.

"It's been a fantastic year," said director of the school's sixth form Aydin Onac.

Three students got five As. Two of them, Nathan Broomhead and Rebecca Tummey, are to study maths at Oxford.

Malvern's Dyson Perrins CE High School candidates did "exceptionally well", said headteacher Peter Buchanan.

Two thirds of the students got A, B, or C grades.

"We can't give specifics yet, but the results appear to be very encouraging," said David Bragg, an assistant principal at Worcester College of Technology.

*Sixth Form College students looking forward to the future

6 "I'm very pleased, they're more than what I wanted," said Darren Reho from Worcester Sixth Form College, who got two Bs and a C in maths, biology, and chemistry.

"I'm going to Bristol University to study engineering but I think I should've been a bit more choosy because they only asked for 16 points and I got 20."

6 Joanne Fowler, of Droitwich, was stressed all the way over to the Sixth Form College, according to her mum, but there was no need to worry.

"I got an A in home economics and two Bs in human biology and geography. It's more then I wanted."

"I'm on my year out at the moment, but now I'm definitely going to uni next year.

"I want to be a dietician but I thought I'd got a D."

6 The college can boast at least one potential vet among this year's candidates.

Helen Guy, of Pershore, excelled herself and was this morning celebrating four As in chemistry, biology, maths, and Spanish.

"I want to go to either Liverpool or London but I'm taking a year out and I'm applying for next year.

"I thought I'd done badly in my Spanish exam and I wasn't sure about the others but now I'm going to celebrate."

KING'S SCHOOL

THE King's School, Worcester, was celebrating its best ever results today.

The school chalked up a 98.7 per cent pass rate, with 84 per cent of the grades from A-C. A third of the total grades were As.

Nineteen of the school's 128 A-level students achieved As in all the subjects they took, while a further 18 gained top grades in two out of three exams.

Meanwhile teenager Anna Jones, from St John's, was named among the top five candidates out of 233 nationwide in her social and environmental biology exam.

Talented violinist Shulah Oliver gained two As and a B, while self-styled 'Tory boy' Alex Lee woke up this morning to three straight As and a place at Trinity College, Cambridge to read history.

Headmaster Tim Keyes said the independent school was delighted.

"I'm very pleased for the boys and girls and for their teachers," he said. "Once again they have exceeded expectations."

But he said there was no evidence of under-achieving among boys, following news nationally that girls are doing better in exams.

"There's no evidence in the last three years, and really not this year either, to suggest boys are being left behind," said Mr Keyes.

"Boys and girls are both doing well."

ALICE OTTLEY

AT the Alice Ottley School in Worcester pupils achieved an overall pass rate of 98.8 per cent.

Five girls, Joanna Allchurch, Tamasin Knight, Laura O'Loghlen, Julia Shrubb, and Hannah Terry, gained grade A in four A-levels and Julia was awarded one of the top five marks in chemistry out of 7,453 candidates.

She plans to study veterinary sciences at Cambridge.

"The overall pass rate is well above the national average, with over half the grades being A or B," said headmistress Morag Chapman.

"Hard work and commitment on the part of the students, the dedication of the teaching staff and the support of the parents have reaped their rewards in the attainment of these excellent standards.

"We're obviously thrilled at these successes and feel very proud of each one of them.

"Obviously we can't expect to achieve this every year but we're delighted nonetheless, especially after all the hard work they have done."

* MP pays tribute to hard work

WORCESTER MP Mike Foster today congratulated Worcester students on their A-level success.

The former A-level teacher, who is also a member of the Commons' Education Select Committee, took time out from his family holiday to personally speak to senior staff at both the Sixth Form College and the city's College of Technology.

"Students will today either be celebrating their success and that of their friends, or contemplating what to do next," he said.

"For those with the results they wanted I offer my warmest congratulations.

"It's a tribute to the hard work of students and teachers alike that have earned this reward."

The Labour MP asked for teaching staff to be thanked for their contribution to the students' success.

"Last year we heard some commentators moaning that exams were getting easier. This is an insult to the students and staff," he said.

"We should not be frightened of celebrating success and allowing congratulations to be the order of the day, rather than criticism.

"Let people enjoy it because they deserve it."