RECORD-breaking GCSE results have ranked Castle School in Thornbury as one of the best scoring high schools in the country.

Its students not only met their targets but exceeded them with 87 per cent achieving five or more A* to C grades. An impressive 41 teenagers were awarded ten As or better. Head teacher Melanie Warnes told the Gazette these were the best scores Castle School pupils had ever received.

"These are absolutely stunning results from outstanding students," she said. "Their hard work has been rewarded. What a delight to see so many young people succeed and take this first step to so many bright futures. "The parents of our students will already know the hard work and dedication shown by their children and today is the best thank you their children can give them for their support and encouragement. Castle School benefits from superb parental support and excellent teaching, and today is proof of that."

The highest achiever was Luke Williams who received 12 A*. The sixteen-year-old, who is hoping to go on to study physics at university, said: " I put the hard work in. I knew I had done quiet well but not so well."

His classmate, Esme Cook also topped the results league with 11 A*, an A at AS level and another A in additional maths.

She said her main motivation was to outscore her older siblings.

"I’m pleased," the sixteen-year-old said. "My aim was just to beat my siblings so I’ve just made it."

She added: "I was hoping but I didn’t really know what to expect last night. I kind of thought, there is no point in worrying about it because now it’s done. But I was a little nervous."

Jennifer Collins, 16, was flabbergasted to find out she had surpassed her own target.

"I got four A*, two As and two Bs," said the aspiring writer. "Last year, I set some GCSEs early so I already had some grades back. But I was still kind of nervous."