STUDENTS across Warrington have been celebrating another big rise in top GCSE grades in the town - bucking the national trend of falling pass rates.

Of the 2,500 16-year-olds taking the exams in Warrington, some 56.2 per cent achieved five or more A* to C grades, almost five per cent more than last year.

And there were stories to tell at every school, with Lymm High School finishing high up in The Times league table of top performing state schools.

There was also reason to cheer at William Beamont High School in Orford where the number of students picking up five or more top grades doubled.

Headteacher John O'Callaghan said: "I am absolutely ecstatic. Being a sports college we've has some outstanding PE results with around 16 students gaining an A* in the subject."

There were record-breaking performances from students at Padgate High School and Penketh High School where there was a 13 per cent increase in passes on last year.

Clive Howlett, headteacher of Padgate, recognised the role of the parents in achieving the results while Helen Phillips, exam co-ordinator at Penketh High School, said she was delighted by the results.

Education executive board member for Warrington Borough Council, David Keane, praised staff and pupils in his first year in the post.

"There is a lot of detailed analysis of this year's GCSE results to be done, which is used to help schools evaluate their performance and to set challenging targets for future years.

"The education department will be working hard during the autumn term to provide schools with a full analysis of this year's results," he added.