Schools across Barnet are celebrating another year of outstanding GCSE results.

Queen Elizabeth’s School, in Queen’s Road, Barnet, recorded its best-ever performance, with 99.3 per cent of entries graded A* to B.

All 179 boys in Year 11 achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C, and more than a fifth of pupils achieved straight A*s.

Nearly seven out of every ten GCSEs sat at the school were awarded the top A* grade, with particularly strong results in maths, which saw 95 per cent of entries grade A*.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This has proved to be a vintage summer for our school and I congratulate both boys and their teachers on their success.

“Although QE is a competitive academic environment, it is emphatically not an ‘exam factory’. We strongly encourage our boys to take advantage of the abundant extra-curricular opportunities we offer so that they explore their interests both academically and in areas such as sport and the arts.

“We also place a high value on helping boys develop character attributes such as self-control, empathy and optimism, laying early the foundation for success in later life.”

Meanwhile, at the North London Collegiate School, in Canons Drive, Edgware, a total of 38 students gained straight A*s.

Overall, more than 82 per cent of entries achieved an A* grade this year, while 95 per cent of entries were graded A* or A.

Headteacher Bernice McCabe said: “We are delighted with the girls’ GCSE results.

“They have been achieved through ensuring that our girls are stretched academically but it is also the balance between extra-curricular interests and inspiring teaching which helps girls to both success and enjoyment.”

And at The King Alfred School, in Manor Wood, Hampstead, 87 per cent of pupils achieved at least five GCSEs graded A* to C, while 48 per cent achieved straight A*s and A’s.

Stavros Philippides achieved seven A*s and two A’s, and plans to return to the school’s sixth form to study economics, maths, further maths and physics at A-level.

He said “I tried not to think about it until this morning. Now I am really really happy and ready to celebrate.”

Today also marked the last GCSE results day under headteacher Dawn Moore, who will leave this month after 30 years teaching at the school, including 12 years at the helm.

She said: “These results are a great foundation for continued success at A levels. I congratulate all the students – it has been such an honour to have taught them over the years.”