BOLTON School Girls' Division is the best independent school in the country.

It has officially been ranked as the best performing independent school and 25th best school overall based on its GCSE results in the Department for Education's latest league table rankings.

A perfect 100 per cent of pupils gained at least five A*-C grades, including English and maths at GCSE.

Figures published by the Government in its annual performance tables show the average point score of pupils stood at 559.6 — which is calculated by assigning each grade a certain number of points — an A* is worth 58 points, A 52, B 46, C 40, D 34, E 28, F 22, and G 16.

The table also includes the percentage of students obtaining the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

This measure highlights where pupils have achieved a C grade or better across core academic subjects including maths, English, the sciences, a language and geography or history — with 87 per cent of girls at Bolton School achieved the EBacc qualification.

Headmistress Sue Hincks said: “The stimulating curriculum which our girls follow is designed to cultivate their intellectual curiosity and love of learning, and we are delighted that their achievements have been recognised in this way.

"In fact, the percentage of pupils achieving at least eight A*-C GCSE grades was also 100 per cent and we set a new record for recent years for the highest percentage —74 per cent — of girls attaining at least 11 A*-C GCSE grades.

"The number of top grades was also up, contrary to the national picture: 93 per cent of our girls achieved at least eight A*-B grades and almost seven out of every 10 papers were graded at A* or A.”

The Blue Coat School in Liverpool was the top state school in the country.

The league tables do not recognise IGCSEs and thus preclude some independent schools such as Bolton School boys’ division, where boys take an IGCSE in maths.