BOLTON School bucked the national trend to see the numbers of students achieving top grades rise year-on-year.

The girls’ division celebrated its best ever results — setting a new record with 20 per cent of entries being graded at A* and more than half awarded A* to A.

Both the boys and girls division saw 78.4 per cent of papers graded at A*to B — around three per cent higher than last year.

Sue Hincks, Headmistress, said: “I am delighted that the girls have done very well indeed. We have the highest percentage of entries graded at A* that we have ever had and the overall pass rate is 100 per cent, which we have only achieved once before in the past five years."

Students in the boys’ division celebrated their best A-level results in the past five years.

The school had 55.2 per cent of entries graded at A* and A, up from 49.6 per cent last year.

Nationally, the percentage declined again from 26 per cent to 25.9 per cent .

At the school, 93.1 per cent of grades were at A*— C, an increase from 91.1 per cent last year. The overall pass rate was 100 per cent.

Headmaster, Mr Philip Britton, said: “At a time when success for boys in education is often questioned, this excellent set of results shows that it can be done. We have our best number of top grades for five years and I am also aware that this year group has been involved in a whole range of activities beyond the classroom – they won the national Independent Schools Football Cup in year eight, the national cricket finals in year 10 and the national Water Polo Cup twice.

“There has been success in drama, music, debating and the arts and there are half a dozen international sportsmen in the year group.

“It is a real pleasure to celebrate success with the boys, to thank those colleagues who motivate them and help them achieve and the parents who do so much to support those aspirations at home. I wish them every success in life.

"In the right environment, boys can thrive academically and today we can celebrate that.”

Ten students at the school will be taking up places at world class universities.

Katie Hurt, aged 18, will be studying physics at Corpus Christi College Oxford — with the rest of her school friends going to Cambridge.

She said: “Cambridge University offers natural sciences and I wanted to do physics.

“I am pleased to have got into the university and I think after university I will go into research, but I want to enjoy university life."