A dazzling dozen students led a return to form for Spalding Grammar School as it notched up a big surge in A* and A grades.
Top student Kate Halgarth beat Dyslexia – and her classmates – to gain an amazing three A*s and an A.
Kate has only been at the school for two years, as has former Sir John Gleed pupil Peter Darley, who made the top 12 with three straight As.
Including general studies, A*s counted for seven per cent of all exam passes while A*-A counted for 25 per cent.
Headteacher Nigel Ryan said: “I am really pleased.
“It is not just about getting As and A*s – the top grades are significantly up – but there’s lots of students right across the board who have got the grades they deserve.”
There are no Oxbridge places this year although Mr Ryan said half a dozen applied this year who were more than capable of studying at those universities.
He says the school will now focus on better preparing students who apply to Oxford and Cambridge.
Mr Ryan said students now make smarter choices at 18, going for university courses that lead to a job or going directly into work.
Head boy Will O’Donovan, from Crowland, was in the top 12, gaining an A*, two As and two Bs.
Will, on crutches following a hockey injury, said on Thursday he learned he had secured his Durham University place “at 8.03 this morning” when he checked the UCAS website – and had a big party lined up that night to celebrate.
He said: “The grades are what I had hoped for.”
Deputy head boy Chris Douglas (17) – on crutches after a rugby injury – picked up disappointing AS results, but plans to work harder over the next year to turn things around for his A-levels.
Former Gleed pupil Peter Darley is going to York University to study history and politics before turning to theology.
He said: “I would like to become a vicar.
“I have really enjoyed my time here at Spalding Grammar School.”
Jack Elsdon delivered the school’s second best result with two A*s and two As – and four students each gained two A*s and one A.