SCHOOLS across Bolton are celebrating a bumper GCSE year with many reporting their best ever set of results.

At national level the Joint Council for General Qualification report a slight increase on last year's figures with the GCSE pass rate up 0.5 per cent at A to C grade.

Subject by subject, experts report a massive growth in pupils emracing the new technological age with results for GCSE in Information Technology up 14.2 per cent.

But as hundreds of youngsters arrived at schools across the town this morning there was a sense of jubliation from many headteachers who were beginning to realise results were exceeding all expections.

Leo Conley, head of St Joseph's RC High, Chorley New Road, could barely contain his excitement.

he said: "It is our best year ever! Year after year I wait for people to start saying that the exams are getting easier and it really makes me angry because it is simply not true."

The school has seen 70 per cent of its pupils get five A* to C grades and 98 per cent of pupils achieve at A* to G.

Mr Conley said: "It's a tribute to the pupils and the staff but it is not just about the high flyers who have received As everyone has worked hard."

Kevin Clarke, head of Sharples School, reported a second record breaking year for the school.

"Last year was our best year ever and this year is even better," he said.

At the school 45 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to Cs.

"Things are going from strength to strength at Sharples and its well done to everyone from students to staff and parents to governors."

Bolton School Boys' Divisions results paint a similar picture with head Alan Wright reporting 98.6 per cent of pupils with five A* to Cs.

And in one subject alone, German, the school had four of the five top achievers in the country out of 27,000 entrants.

Mr Wright said: "I have been through the records as far back as 1989 so far and I cannot find a better year.

"It has been a good couple of weeks for us becase the A-Level results represented a great leap upwards for us."

Similarly Canaon Slade pupils can be proud of a "vintage" set of results.

In the school's GCSE year group 77 per cent of pupils achieved the Government's benchmark of five higher grade GCSEs - just two points below the school's record set in 1999.

"It's been a vintage year for us," said acting head Jackie Alderson. "Our students have worked fantastically hard to achieve these results and many of our staff have gone the extra mile too."