St Peter’s School in Huntingdon is celebrating the best results for a state school in Huntingdonshire.

Results were 18 per cent higher than last year with 81 per cent achieving A*-Cs with nearly half being A*-Bs. The overall pass rate was 99% - the same as last year.

Headteacher Val Ford was ecstatic with the results. She told The Hunts Post: “The students have seen that getting jobs is tough at the moment and they need high qualifications for the jobs. Our teachers set the challenge by telling students that they need the best grades and they have risen to it.”

She added that the leap in success was down to a great standard of students and to the support of the staff.

Maddy Lewis, 18, got and A*, A and a B to get her place on a physiotherapy course at Keele.

She said: “I’m really interested in how the body works so wanted to get into physiotherapy. As a horse rider, I’d like to get into horse physiotherapy, and there’s a lot of money in that.”

Mick Taylor, governor at the school, said: “There were tears, but tears of joy. Looking around the room I just saw the excitement on the students’ faces but not only theirs but the teachers as well.

“They have been there along the journey and have worked hard to get the students to excel.”