Pupils and staff at The Barclay School in Stevenage are celebrating the school’s best A-level results for three years.

The overall pass rate was 95 per cent, with 70 per cent of grades at A* to C and 45 per cent at A* to B.

Almost all students were able to get into their chosen universities.

Headteacher Mark Allchorn said this is particularly good news in the light of the national context of new ‘tougher’ A-level courses, and the greater focus on final exam performance.

He said: “I’m delighted with the well-earned success of all students at Barclay School. The individual results mean that students can move confidently to the next stage of their career.

“I’m particularly proud that students have worked hard with the staff at Barclay to make the very most of all their opportunities in what has been a very challenging year.

“These results are the first national benchmark of Barclay’s journey back to being graded ‘good’.

“We look forward to further developing the academic success of our sixth-form students in a new sixth-form centre, to be opened in 2018.”

Notable successes included Jordan Barber, who achieved two A* grades and one A. He will now go on to to read astrophysics at university.

Jade Burroughes got three A*s to read history and Lucy Brinkley achieved ABB and will study politics.

Tom Davies gained A*AB and will study maths, Ethan Murrill gained one A* and two As and will read engineering, and Bethany Nobbs got A*A*B and will go on to study psychology.

The maths department is celebrating the fact that 100 per cent of its pupils achieved A and A* grades in further maths.