HIGH-ACHIEVING students in South Oxfordshire have helped at least two secondary school achieve “record-breaking” GCSE results.

Staff at Wallingford School have said it could be the highest achieving school in the county with 84 per cent of exams being between A* to C grades including English and maths.

This is the school’s best results to date, with last year’s students hitting 79 per cent.

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Headteacher Wyll Willis said: “We don’t do anything particularly different or out of the ordinary but it is thanks to staff and teachers with high expectations.

“Obviously we have fantastic students who have worked really hard for these results.”

Some of Wallingford’s highest- achieving students were James Coulson, Lauren Giles and Helen Harpham.

James achieved 10A*s and an A, and Lauren and Helen got 11A*s.

Lauren said: “I was predicted them but I wasn’t expecting to get them. Physics and music exams were especially hard. I’m really pleased.”

Oxford Mail:

Didoct Girls’ School pupil Amy Lockett with plenty to celebrate on her 16th birthday

Didcot Girls’ School came a close second with 79 per cent of pupils achieving A* to C grades.

Yesterday Ladygrove resident Amy Lockett celebrated her 16th birthday with 11A*s.

She said: “It’s the best birthday present I could have got. I don’t really know what to say, I had almost written off getting any A*s.”

Amy will be going on to sixth form and studying English, further maths, maths and history.

She eventually wants to become a political journalist.

There were 34 students at the school who received seven or more A* and A grades.

Headteacher Rachael Warwick said: “This is our third year of being above 70 per cent and this year’s students have been really outstanding. “These results put the students in a good place to be thinking about applying to Oxbridge and other Russell Group universities.”

King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage said after looking at its GCSE results, it was looking forward to welcoming another “outstanding” cohort of A-Level students to its sixth form next year.

Aside from stand-out stories like national swimming champion David Murphy, who also aced his exams, the school boasted a healthy array of A*s and As.

Oxford Mail:

Lizzie Deacon, whose string of A*s, As and Bs will allow her to continue with her A-Levels at King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage

Headteacher Jo Halliday, who took on the role in September 2014, said: “Thing are looking really good. The number of students who achieved really excellent top-end results is really encouraging.

“Last week we had outstanding results from our Year 12 and 13s and now we’ve got another outstanding cohort of students moving up to the sixth form.”

Among that cohort are students like Vincent Tang, who achieved A*s in chemistry, physics, business, RE, French and catering, and sailed through all his other subjects with As.

The 16-year-old, who lives in Chilton near Didcot, said: “I’m pleased. You need to get As in science subjects to get automatic entry to do sciences at A-Level, and I’m doing biology, chemistry, maths and geography.”

Vincent said he would like to go into medicine. He said: “I enjoy the science but also the human interaction – I like helping people.”

Lizzie Deacon, 16, from Wantage, got A*s in art, geography and philosophy and ethics, and some more As and Bs besides which will allow her to carry on at KA’s and take A-Levels in psychology, art, biology and geography.

She explained: “A degree has a value on its own, if I find a job in something else that I enjoy that’s fine.”