NO fewer than 102 students aged 15 at The Misbourne School have gained five or more higher grades (A*-C) or their equivalent in the GCSE examination results. This number is just short of the school's best-ever results achieved last year but still ahead of the national average.

This year's top student was Clare Forsey who achieved an A* with five As, three Bs, and four GCSE equivalents through GNVQs. She was closely followed by Amy Lance, Andrew Waite, Tahiba Zulfiqar and Adrian Moorhouse, all of whom included GNVQs in their total.

Holly Pulsford, who achieved seven A*s and As with two Bs, was the top-scoring student to rely solely on GCSEs, and she was closely followed by James Knight whose total included six at A* or A.

Other students who did particularly well in the rank order were Annette Langley and David Needham. For the first time a number of students received a boost to their GCSE higher grades by the inclusion of passes in GNVQ equivalents. By this means Jonathan Kolodziejski and Tyler Hagan are very close to the top of the list with 11 Higher Grade equivalents.

Headteacher David Selman said: "Our GCSE results this year are bang on the predictions made when the students entered the school five years ago and I am delighted that they have lived up to our expectations and their potential."

Meanwhile, students at the school have gained their best-ever results at GCE Advanced Level in this year's examinations.

Seventy-six entered a total of 195 exams and achieved a staggering 96.4 per cent pass rate, continuing a trend which has seen the pass rate increase every year since 1998 when it was just 85 per cent. A further 11 were entered for the Advanced Level-equivalent BTEC National Diploma in Business and Finance and achieved a 100 per cent pass rate with 43 per cent of the exam modules being awarded a Distinction.

At Advanced Level, the best students this year were Anna How and Louise Robinson, each with two As and a B, who narrowly beat Nicholas Chambers and Sean Marland with an A and two Bs, whilst in the BTEC the top performers were Brad Taylor with 11 distinctions and Tom Fothergill and Craig Henney with ten each.

More than 90 students in Y12, still with a year to go before they sit Advanced Levels, were entered for the much discussed and still controversial Advanced Supplementary examinations which provide an indication of potential for summer 2003. By this token Jenny Kemp, Gabriella Wood, Lucy Duerdoth and Leila Blackburn are well on the way to tremendous success for they all gained four high-scoring passes which included three As for both Jenny and Gabriella.

Mr Selman said: "My feelings are best summarised by the fact that I am very proud of the whole school community, for The Misbourne is undoubtedly one of Buckinghamshire's very best upper schools."