ST Mary's RC High School, Astley, students have excelled in the recent A-level examinations.

Three have won places at Cambridge University and the school has produced two of the top candidates in the country in A-level communication studies.

Heading for Cambridge are Susanne Calder who will study natural sciences, Emily Weir who will read engineering and Stuart Benjamin computer science.

And fellow sixth formers Katherine Green and Donna Murphy have been listed in the nation's top five in communication studies to the delight of staff.

Other distinctions included four candidates with straight A grades, seven GNVQ students who gained distinctions, 87 per cent of all entries were awarded pass grades, 58 per cent of all grades were A B or C and 60 per cent of all candidates gained three or more A levels."

Delighted head, Mr Alan Bell, said: "We have a great number of very happy students who will be going on to higher education and employment.

"Our pass rates and grades awarded are extremely good. These are outstanding achievements from a school with an open entry policy for the sixth form, where drop out rates are very low and where the commitment of the teaching staff to the academic and pastoral well being of individual pupils is exceptional.

"I am pleased that all of the hard work has brought so much success. J Alexander 1, N Allmark 3, R Ashworth 3, L Atkinson 2, C Bailey 3, C Barrett 3, P Beardsworth 1, S Benjamin 4, P Blackburn 2, F Branton 3, J Brennan 3, G Butler 3, S Calder 4, S Clayton 4.

A Clegg 3, C Clegg 3, K Cooper 3, R Cooper 3, A Coupe 3, C Cunliffe 2, A Dand 4, D Davies 2, M Dawes 3, E Devlin 1, L Dickinson 3, S Doherty 3, M Dooley 3, A Fairclough 2, E Farrar 3, J Fearick 1.

M Fieldhouse 3, J Fitton 3, K Flanagan 3, S Flannery 3, K Fletcher 1, L Foulds 3, M Garner 1, L Gaskell 3, S Gibbons 3, M Goggins 4, D Graham 1, P Gray 3, K Green 3, T Grogan 3, G Grundy 2, K Guest 3.

C Hargreaves 4, P Harris 1, J Hart 2, A Henderson 4, S Higson 3, L Hilton 3, J Holden 3, O Holt 3, J Howe 2, N Jackson 4, S Jenkinson 4, I Jones 3, G Kelly 3, K Kubryn 3, S Lancelott 3, S Lardner 3.

D Latham 1, A Lee 1, S Lee 3, K Lewis 1, J Lord 3, S Lynch 1, C Macauley 3, Z Macnaughton 3, J Maloney 3, H Mather 3, P Mckeown 4, C Mcmahon 2, S Mikulin 3, Y Morgan 3, P Morris 3, D Murphy 3.

V Niescier 3, A O'Connor 2, D O'Grady 2, J O'Mara 3, D O'Rourke 1, N Ormesher 2, M Parody 3, N Partington 1, N Pattison 2, S Potts 2, K Richardson 2, E Rigby 3, P Riley 1, S Roach 4, E Roberts 3.

R Rowson 3, J Rust 1, M Shaw 3, V Slater 3, C Smart 1, H Smith 2, J Smith 1, K Solkani 3, L Sullivan 3, H Swift 1, L Timperley 2, K Tither 2, R Tobin 2, P Toye 1, R Trew 2, E Weir 4, J Weir 1, C Welch 4, E Westhead 2, O Whittell 2, S Yates 3, S Young 2.

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