Almost three quarters of St John’s GCSE students achieved five or more A*-C grades putting the Marlborough school among the top state schools in the county.

Seventy-three per cent of pupils achieved five or more A*-C grade GCSEs, an increase on last year.

Of all exams taken 74 per cent of grades achieved were A*-C, compared to a national average of 67 per cent, and 22 per cent were graded A* or A.

Headteacher Dr Patrick Hazlewood said: “I am delighted to see another successful year’s results, and I must thank all the families who have given so much support to the students and to the school throughout their GCSE studies.”

Outstanding individuals included Rachel Butler, Tom Dawes and James Smith all who gained 10 A* grades and two As. Other top students were Emma Brunskill-Powell, Jonas de Beukelaer, Samir Kamal and Lili Pickett-Palmer.

The school is equally proud of the many students who managed to beat their own personal targets based on their grades from primary school and tests in Year 9.