MONTHS after being placed into special measures one of the city’s biggest secondary schools celebrated its ‘best ever’ A-Level results.

St Gregory the Great School in Cricket Road celebrated a record-breaking haul of top grades.

The East Oxford school saw 22 per cent entries achieve A* or A grades, with 46 per cent scoring A* to B.

Principal, Dr Marcella McCarthy, said: “We are really pleased with the results and really proud of our students and our teachers and parents.

“It has been a really hard year for the school, going into special measures, and they have all worked so hard for this.”

Elsewhere in Oxford, Jolie Kirby, the headteacher at Cheney School, Headington, put on a brave face and celebrated the achievements of her A-Level students, despite seeing a drop in top grades compared to last year.

This year 23 per cent of entries scored A* and A grades compared to 40 per cent in 2016, while 43 per cent got A* to B grades, down from 64 per cent.

Ms Kirby said: “At this stage it is very difficult to compare these results meaningfully with results from previous years because they have been achieved in a mixture of reformed and unreformed subjects.”

She added that she was ‘really pleased’ with the results regardless.

At The Oxford Academy, the majority of the 50 Year 13 pupils opted to study BTECs, with the school averaging a distinction for the A-Level equivalent qualification.

Headteacher Niall McWilliams said: “We are delighted with the results, and delighted with the year-on-year improvement of the school, both the BTEC grades and also with our smaller number of A-Levels.

“It is a very positive showing and we are just absolutely delighted.”

At The Cherwell School, headteacher Chris Price praised pupils for maintaining top marks despite changes to A-Level assessment, but called for a ‘period of stability’.

*Results were up for A* to A passes with 38 per cent compared to 36 per cent last year, but remained roughly the same for A* to B at 66 per cent, and A* to E at 99 per cent.

Mr Price said: “We are very pleased with our A-Level results, which on a number of levels are some of our best ever. This group was made up of 251 students and it is so rewarding to see so many students having done well right across the ability range.

“They have achieved this during a period of significant change in the A-Level System. I am delighted for them and for their teachers who work so hard to support their success”

He added: “The most important thing from the school’s point of view now is to not have any more change and instead a period of stability.”

Meanwhile, it was smiles all round at Oxford Spires Academy, were there was a massive jump in the number of entries achieving A* to B, going from 26 per cent in 2016 to 42 per cent this year.

Results were also up for A* to A, rising from 19 per cent to 26 per cent, bringing them in line with the national average.

Retiring principal Sue Croft said: “These results demonstrate the hard work of students and teachers and the improvements in attainment at Oxford Spires Academy.

“All students who have chosen to do so have won a place on a degree course and we are confident that all our students leaving school this summer can look forward to a very bright future.”

*A previous version of this story stated that Cherwell School's A* to A grades had fallen. We are happy to clarify they have risen by two per cent.