For one Haringey school, last Thursday was a landmark occasion - the first time its pupils received A-level results.

Alexandra Park Secondary School, a mixed comprehensive community school in Bidwell Gardens, Muswell Hill, only opened its sixth form in September 2004, five years after the school opened. Last Thursday, therefore, saw the first ever Alexandra Park pupils qualify to move on to university.

Reflecting on the school's first A-level results, a proud Denise Tunstall, chairman of Alexandra Park's school of governors, said: "It's tremendous. There's not a single student who has not got one grade or other - they all got something - and are now set to go forward and follow their careers. These students were the first and it showed a great deal of faith for them to come to a new school."

Mrs Tunstall also praised the school's teachers. "They have been wonderful," she said. "The staff here worked very hard to achieve these results. The students and staff worked hard together and it's paid off."

Esther Misrahi, 18, of Gospatrick Road, Tottenham, overcame two brain tumours as a child to gain three Cs. Miss Misrahi, who suffered minor brain damage as a result of brain surgery, said: "I'm very pleased. It was not what I was expecting to get, but it was what I wanted. I hope now to take a gap year volunteering in America."

She said the fact there were no past A-level results to judge the school by when she joined at 16 had not put her off. "It was not a problem - I looked at the GCSE results," she said. It was a good day, too, for Kelly Richardson, 18, of Farrant Avenue, Wood Green, who last year got three Us (ungraded). This time round, having been given a kick up the backside' by her teachers, she achieved two Bs and an E.

"If it wasn't for the teachers and the school, I would never have done it," she said. "I tried really hard this time and re-took a lot of exams."

Adam Fraser, 19, of Leslie Road, East Finchley, was one of three pupils to get three As and is set to study chemistry at Bristol University.

He said: "The teachers were amazing, really excellent. I would have got Ds if it hadn't been for them. My chemistry teacher missed ten doctors' appointments to give us extra lessons in his own time."