Oxfordshire has some of the best independent single-sex schools in the country, according to the latest A-level league tables.

A total of five Oxfordshire schools offering single-sex education have been ranked in the top 50 independent schools in the country.

Topping the tables for Oxfordshire is Oxford High School, in Belbroughton Road, Oxford. The girls' school came seventh in The Guardian newspaper's table listing the country's top independent schools' A-level results, leaving renowned fee-paying schools like Harrow and Roedean trailing in 54th and 75th place respectively.

Table positions were calculated by working out the average points scored per student, based on the system used for university admissions. An A grade was equivalent to ten points, a B was worth eight, a C six points, a D four points and an E grade two points.

Oxford High School achieved an average of 30.69 points, just under five points below Westminster School in London - the top scoring independent school.

Oxford High School also charged the lowest fees among the top ten independent schools.

The county's second best A-level performance was also achieved by an all girls' school. The Headington School came 23rd in the league table.

All-boys Abingdon School, in Park Road, Abingdon, Radley College, Radley, and Magdalen College School (MCS), Oxford, also secured positions in the top 50.

Richard Cairns, deputy head at MCS, in Cowley Place, said: "I think both boys and girls benefit from a single sex school environment.

"The average boy works and approaches study differently to the average female student.

"Boys tend to thrive more in a competitive environment with tests on a regular basis.

"Girls respond better to long-term assessment."

Last week the Oxford Mail revealed how The Cherwell School's record A-level results - a 96 per cent pass rate - made it the best state school in the county.

The school, in Marston Ferry Road, Oxford, was ranked 59th in The Guardian's top 100 comprehensives in the country. Lord Williams's School in Thame, Cheney School, Oxford, and Matthew Arnold School, Oxford, also did well.

However, when compared to the independent sector, Cherwell's performance was ranked 348th in the country.