GIRLS at St Helen’s School, Northwood, are today celebrating outstanding success in their GCSE and IGCSE examinations.

A total of 49% of all grades awarded were A*, with 81% at either A* or A.

Eleven of the 104 students who opened their results envelopes today were thrilled to achieve a “full house” of A* grades, with a further 31 students achieving A* and A grades.

St Helen’s girls are also bucking the national trend which suggests that girls generally underperform in mathematics and science: 91% of the cohort achieved A* or A grades in IGCSE maths, and 90% of all science grades awarded were at the same exceptional level.

Headmistress Mary Short said: “These are fantastic results all round, which reward the girls’ hard work throughout their GCSE courses. Their results underline that girls at a single-sex school can excel at whatever they put their minds to.

“But behind all the statistics there are amazing individual stories of talent and success.”

Vicki Oyesola, who has just returned from Botswana, where she has been representing England at netball as part of the national academy squad, achieved 6 A*s and 5 As in her GCSE examinations.

Keen historian Maya Freiman, who has been involved behind the scenes at the Imperial War Museum as one of 23 youth adviser, and has additionally been an active member of the voluntary team at the Jewish Museum, London, was delighted to receive 10 straight A* grades.

Dr Short added, “The breadth of talent of Vicki, Maya and so many other St Helen’s girls, is astonishing. They are girls who will become leaders of their fields and leaders of their communities.”