Students in Buckinghamshire defied expectations by recording an increase in top A-Level grades this week.

Young people at sixth forms and colleges across the county received their results on Thursday, August 15, and beat over 40 other regions to rank sixth for the highest proportion of A* and A grades in England.

Success stories abounded across the board, with just a few examples being the 45 per cent of students at Wycombe High School who achieved A* to A grades, the 96 per cent pass rate for Year 13s at Chiltern Hills Academy and 75 per cent of BTC students Bourne End Academy achieving Distinction or Distinction* qualifications.

Headteachers joined in the celebrations, sharing messages of support to their “exceptional and inspiring” cohorts.

Ed Goodall, head of Sir William Borlase’s Grammar in Marlow, said sixth form students had “worked incredibly hard” and praised the “excellent work of staff who have taught and supported them over the last two years”.

Meanwhile Glen Burke, principal at The Highcrest Academy in Wycombe, said he was “extremely proud” of the A-Level students, who had made “fantastic” progress in their studies and “always displayed high levels of maturity and resilience”.

As well as scoring top in nationwide charts of academic performance, schools in Bucks saw a year-on-year increase in the number of A-Level grades awarded at A and above – rising to 30.8 per cent from 30.3 per cent in 2023.