Encouraging progress was reported at Ellesmere Port Catholic High despite tougher national standards.

Following the ‘splendid’ A level results 181 younger pupils received their GCSE results.

The key measure of school success, the percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSE grades, including English and maths, increased marginally on last year’s figure to 57%.

Headteacher Peter Lee said:“We set ourselves a large improvement agenda in KS4  over the past 12 months.

“We were focussing on increasing this overall measure as well as increasing the proportion achieving the English Baccalaureate, up to 27% this year and the rates of progress in English and maths.

“One other obvious success at this stage is the reduction in the gap, seen nationally, between the performance of boys and girls.

“We have achieved these targets but we don’t know yet what impact the government pressure to make exams more challenging, particularly in English and maths, will have when we compare ourselves to the national benchmarks.

“With the exception of English literature and home economics all of the subjects we teach to GCSE have lower pass rates across England this year.

“Against that background I am very pleased indeed with what our students have achieved as we push on. “Despite the national figures, with lower numbers of A*/A grades generally, we have still seen six students achieve A*/A in all of their nine or 10 GCSE grades.”

He added:“Staff at school could not have worked harder to support pupils in the past 12 months. 

“They were rewarded by a positive response and by great support from parents.  Congratulations and well done to all.”