STUDENTS and staff from Okehampton College were celebrating last week as the school achieved another year of strong GCSE results.

The college achieved a 68% pass rate of students gaining the 'gold standard' of five A* to C grades, including English and maths.

While slightly down on last year's record-breaking results, the achievement is still above the college's target of 65%, and puts it in the top 25% of schools in the country.

When the 'gold standard' benchmark was measured in 2006, the college's performance was 36%. Since then the school has seen a big improvement, and has managed to maintain the high levels of results in the last three years.

Overall, 86% of students achieved five A*s to C grades, which is the same as last year's statistics.

Achievement in the English Baccalaureate — a performance measure which recognises students who have secured an A* to C grade across English, maths, history or geography, the sciences and a language — has also risen sharply to 18%. That is a 5% increase on last year's results.

Principal Darryl Chapman said: 'We are really please with how students have done. As a college we have beaten our targets, and we are very pleased to have managed that again.

'At a time when all the press talks about is results not going up for the first time, the big concerns over English results and lots of anxiety about how papers are being marked more stringently, we are very happy with how students have done.

'We were at 36% for the golden standard in 2006, so have continued to improve. Our biggest challenge now is to keep those results up and keep the performance at this sort of standard.

'We are also very pleased with the English Baccalaureate results, and are hoping that we can see an even higher level of improvement next year.

'These results have been achieved through the hard work and dedication of our staff, and the hard work and commitment of the students here at the college. Everyone has clearly worked really hard.

'Congratulations to all our students, who have earned their results through their graft and efforts.'

Libby Rogers was one of the many students to do well, and will study biology, chemistry, physics and maths for AS level at the college next year.

She said: 'I'm really happy with what I got — eight A*s, and four As. I worked hard so it has paid off.'

Jasmyn McNamara achieved five A*s, four As and a B. She will now go on to Exeter College to study English literature, English language, history and music.

She said: 'I am very happy, and can't wait to get off to college.'

Among the highest achievers at the college were Alyse Pellow, who achieved ten A*s and three As, Amber Davey-Wright and Jessica Loram, who both achieved 7.5 A*s and five As, Nicola Grindley, who achieved 6.5 A*s, seven As and a C, Chloe Blackmur, who achieved 5.5 A*s, and nine As, and Willemijn Rademaker, who achieved 5.5 A*s, eight As and a B.