Students at an Oxfordshire school have earned themselves a place in an exclusive club.

The continued GCSE success of pupils at Gosford Hill School, in Kidlington, from 2003 to 2006 led to the school being voted into the country's 100 Most Improved Schools Club by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Their success was heralded at a gala dinner at The Russell Hotel, London. Headteacher David Jones attended the event to receive the school's certificate.

He said: "It was great to have the hard work of the students and their teachers acknowledged. This follows hot on the heels of a letter of commendation from the Schools Minister Jim Knight in January."

The school has seen the percentage of pupils achieving five grade A* to C go from 38 per cent in 2003 to 53 per cent in 2004, then up to 58 per cent in 2005 and 55 per cent in 2006.

Mr Jones said: "Things have gone well for us in the last few years. It is nice to have our results recognised in this way. Very few schools managed three years on an upward trend.

"We can attribute this to quality teaching and greater consistency across all subjects."

He added: "We have also put in place an awful lot of support for our young people, with things like Easter revision courses and mentoring schemes.

"Rather than just doing the minimum, these things all help them further along the road.

"We are now looking to build on this success and hope we can go a stage further in 2007."

Charlotte Nichols, 16, of Kidlington, has been a pupil at the school since 2001.

She was part of the group which achieved the improved GCSE results, contributing to the school's inclusion in the club. She is now studying for A-Levels in philosophy and ethics, English literature and psychology.

She said: "I'm very proud of us all and the school. We put in a lot of effort over the years. I've been a pupil here since Year Seven so it's good to know we are doings things right. It's pretty special to be one of the 100 most improved schools in the whole country."

Fellow student Natalie Burke, 17, added: "I think I would put our success down to our teachers' support. We always had teachers to go to.

"We had extra classes at Easter which we could sign up for. Things like that obviously paid off and it's great for our achievements to be recognised in this way."

A spokesman for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust said schools have to improve their percentage of pupils achieving five GCSEs grade A* to C by 10 per cent or more between 2003 and 2006 to be included.

Other county schools to be included among the most improved, were Abingdon's Fitzharrys School, which saw a 23 per cent increase in the period, and St Birinus School in Didcot, which saw a 20 per cent increase.