Highgate School’s students have risen to the challenge of tougher exams by producing top results, according to headteacher Adam Pettitt.

Just over 64per cent of students were awarded the top A* grade, also known as an 8 or 9 according to its new numeric equivalent, giving the school a five-year average of 63.2pc of students reaching the highest grade. In total, 87.9pc of all grades were either A* or A combined.

The exams taken by students were subject to reforms launched by Michael Gove designed to make the content more challenging, and so the school’s grades “demonstrate a real achievement for Highgate students”.

Headteacher Adam Pettitt said: “I am delighted that this year’s pupils were able to rise so successfully to the challenge of tougher exams and turn in results comparable with the best we have seen in the last five years.

“To achieve such consistent and high quality results, even when more demanding exams are introduced, points to educational vision and to teaching which goes beyond question spotting and exam practice.

“Results day is inevitably a day to celebrate GCSE results, but they can only ever tell part of the story; let us not forget to celebrate our young people’s energy, ingenuity, commitment and self-propulsion which not only helps to secure stellar results but also makes of them brilliant, motivated employees and entrepreneurs; and wonderful, can-do citizens.”