A triumphant mood prevailed at the Highgate School today after pupils achieved a stunning set of exam results. Up to 91 per cent of the grades achieved in this year s A-levels were A*, A or B - and almost 70 per cent of the grades were A* or A. In total,

A triumphant mood prevailed at the Highgate School today after pupils achieved a stunning set of exam results.

Up to 91 per cent of the grades achieved in this year's A-levels were A*, A or B - and almost 70 per cent of the grades were A* or A.

In total, 22 of the 160 pupils at the North Road School have gained places at Oxbridge.

Adam Pettitt, the headteacher said: "I'm delighted with the results in this first year of the A* and I'm very proud of the pupils and staff who have worked very hard to achieve them.

"The new A* grade had a motivating effect on the highest achieving pupils. It shifted the emphasis from getting A-grades across the board to concentrating on the harder synoptic elements of A-levels in the upper sixth which are academically tougher and more challenging."

Katie Matthews, 18, of Hillfield Avenue, Crouch End, achieved three A*s in music, maths and economics.

She will now study music at Jesus College, Cambridge and told the Ham High:

"It felt really intense at the time, but now I've got my results it's all worked out in the end."

In total, eight pupils achieved 4A* or more, including Max Jamilly who achieved 5A* in maths, physics, chemistry, further maths and Russian, and an A in French which he took in Y11 when A* didn't exist.