Keighley students have achieved record A-level results.

Schools are celebrating some of their highest-ever pass rates.

At South Craven School, A-level passes have soared above the national rate to 96.4 per cent.

Deputy head David Birks said he was especially pleased at the proportion of A and B grades, which had increased by 3.4 per cent to a record 35 per cent.

Eleven students achieved at least two grade As, and the average point score per pupil was a record.

Fifteen subjects had a 100 per cent pass rate. Outstanding students include Mark Stares and Louise Clark, who each gained four grade As and a B and will be studying medicine at Newcastle University and taking a gap year respectively.

Bethany Liddle with four grade As will be reading psychology, also at Newcastle, and David Cowgill with three As and a B has secured a place at Leeds University to read management and law.

In the new Advanced Vocational subjects, five students achieved an A or B grade. And the first year sixth AS results produced 85 A or B grades.

Mr Birks said: "We congratulate students and staff on the excellent record-breaking results. We are offering, as usual, our post-results service to individual students who may need support."

Students at Holy Family School achieved a massive 98 per cent pass rate.

Deputy head Sean Gilligan said: "We are very pleased.

"Fifty per cent of passes are C and above and there are As in nine subjects.

"One of the members of staff said there was very little to do in terms of sorting people out, which is a sign that most of the students have achieved their target grades."

Greenhead School's deputy head of sixth form Mandy Barson said she was very pleased with the results.

She said: "We have one girl with four grade As - she thoroughly deserved it because she worked very hard.

"Partly it is the usual situation. A lot of students have done well, but we are not really sure until they hear from universities whether they are accepted on to courses. Of those who have blobbed, a lot have done so by just one grade. We have got to be very pleased."

Oakbank School head John Roberts said he was delighted at the way teachers and students had adapted to new courses and forms of assessment.

Outstanding students included Timothy Hird who scored three As at A2 in biology, maths and history and an A in AS general studies; Sarah Laycock who achieved three As at A2 in English, history and sociology, and Kate Foxon who achieved double A in business and A in design technology.

The average points score was up, with most subjects achieving a 100 per cent pass rate, and girls scoring an average 1.25 grades higher than boys.

There were good results too in AS at the end of Year 12. David Prince achieved four A grades while Robert Munnoch, Philip Thompson and Sophie Nilon also scored four A-E passes.

Keighley College has also reported an overall improvement in its A-level results.

Particularly outstanding were results in the modern language subjects - Urdu, French, Italian and Spanish - which all achieved a 100 per cent pass rate. Similar successes were shown in law and electronics.

David Gates, the new principal at Keighley College, said: "We are very pleased with the A-level results and on behalf of the college I wish to congratulate students and staff for their hard work."

Bethany Liddle - 4 Grade A's (above)