BOTH of Witney's secondary schools, Henry Box and Wood Green, have chalked up the maximum with passes in this year's A-level exams.

It was a record year for both of them, gaining 100 per cent A to E pass grades for all their sixth-form pupils and the highest ever achievement in the top A to C grades.

The successes were mirrored elsewhere in west Oxfordshire secondary schools.

And at Burford School sixth former Sophie Ansell had extra reason to celebrate when she picked up one of the country's top five marks for A-Level photography.

David Bell, deputy head at Henry Box school, said: "Seventeen of our students got three As or more, a record for us. Four of them, Rebecca Watson, Catherine Guertsen, Laura Kane and Danielle Thomas, have secured Oxbridge places. We are very pleased, half of our grades are As and Bs."

A total of 97 Henry Box pupils took A Levels, with a success rate of 75 per cent in the top A to C grades.

At Wood Green school the A to C rate out of the 100 pupils taking exams was 78 per cent, with more than half at A or B grades for the second successive year. The A to C grade rate was 78 per cent.

Cym Savage, head teacher, said: "We are delighted with this year's results, which are a credit to students and staff. We rightly celebrate the success of all our studenrts and are immensely proud of their achievements."

Thirteen students at Wood Green gained three or more A grades - Adam Bahou, George Bibby, Mark Dale, Dan Finnemore, Matthew Jellings, David Laithwaite, Esther Lock, Tom Maycock, Tom Neary, Ellen Musson, Camille Robineau, Elliot Vick and Emily Prately-Hutt.

Batholomew School at Eynsham had its fifth consecutive year of record results, said head Andrew Hamilton, with 64 students gaining a 97 pass rate and 82 per cent in the top A to C grades.

"It is a superb set of results. This has been a talented and hardworking year group and we expected them to do very well," added Mr Hamilton.

Four students, Katie Duffell, Hannah Chippendale, Hannah Standling and Megan Shirley all achieved four or more grade As.

At Burford the pass rate was 98 per cent, with 70 per cent in the top A to C grades. The highest fliers were Caroline Griffin and Jenny O'Hara, both of whom gained four A grades.

Caroline's marks have earned her a place at Southampton University to read engineering while Jenny is due to study maths at St Andrew's.

Headteacher Kathy Haig said: "We are very pleased with all of our students - we have done well and many of the students have hit their targets."

In Chipping Norton School the pass rate was 97 per cent, a point down on last year. Two students achieved four A grades and many students now have their places at top universitis, said head Simon Duffy.

He added: "Particularly pleasing results once again in Maths, English and the Sciences have reinforced the school's strong reputation for quality at the academic core of sixth form learning.

"Excellent results in a new area of the Performing Arts were also being celebrated with 50% of students entered for the BTEC Dance Award at Advanced Level getting distinctions (the equivalent to A grades)."

Abi McPhillips achieved A grades in English, Maths, Further Maths and Physics and Tom Rogers achieved his four A grades in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths and Physics.

At Cokethorpe School, Ducklington, 57 students took A Levels and the A to E pass rate was 99 per cent, with 80 per cent gaining A to Cs and 63 per cent As and Bs.

Head Damian Ettinger said: "The statistics make great reading. This is our biggest sixth form so far.

"It is the individual successes that give us most pleasure, with students off to universities from Cambridge to Edinburgh studying everything from medicine to art - we're delighetd for them."

Woodstock's Marlborough School has a 99 per cent pass rate among its 72 exam pupils. The A to C higher grade percentage was at 54.2 per cent.

Head Julie Fenn said: "We are pleased with our results and a large proportion of our students have achieved their first-choice university. We expect all of our pupils who wish to attend university in September to achieve a place.

"A number of pupils have achieved outstanding results including Jessica Dawson, Sorrel Hanlon and Laura Pinker who all achieved three A grades."

The continuing improvement in A-Level performance is expected to spark repeated criticism that exams are getting easier, but Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, was quick to spike the argument.

He said: "The debate about A-level results has been historically one-sided, relying on well worn claims that both the questions and the systems used to mark them, are getting easier.

"Those who continue to devalue the achievements of A-level students repeatedly fail to recognise that the year-on-year rise in standards has come about because of hard work on the part of the students and their teachers. We should therefore celebrate the educational achievements of students up and down the country."

Source: Witney Gazette