DAVENANT Foundation School's star student Kathryn Greagsby was speechless after she opened her results envelope and discovered she had achieved a clean sweep of 12 A* grades.

Kathryn, 16, from Blackmore near Ongar, told the Guardian: "Oh wow! I'm shocked. Amazed. This is fantastic."

And she hit back at national media reports that have suggested that pass rates are improving because the exams are getting easier.

Kathryn said: "That's just a silly comment to make. It's not the people taking the exams that are saying that. Before the exams I was working 15-16 hours a day."

She added: "Everyone has worked so hard and I think the teaching is getting better."

Kathryn, who wants to pursue a career as a vet, will be staying at the Chester Road school to study A-levels in chemistry, biology, maths and further maths.

Eighty-eight per cent of students achieved five or more A*-C grades with an overall A to G pass rate of 99 per cent.

With 86.5 per cent achieving five or more A*-C grades, which included maths and English, it is the third successive year that the school has achieved more than 80 per cent for this statistic. The average points score per pupil of 454 was a school record.

Other outstanding results were gained by Emma Fredericks (11 A*s, one A), Jessica Hocking (eight A*s and four As), Nicole Tribe (seven A*s and five As), Marc Jenkinson (seven A*s, three As and two Bs) and Jordan Ramsden and Adam Redpath who each achieved six A* and six A grades.

Twenty-one per cent of students achieved A or A* grades in at least seven subjects.

Headteacher Chris Seward said: "The school has achieved another set of marvellous results. We're proud of all the students who have worked so hard to achieve their potential.

"The top students have done wonderfully well but, in fact, the real pleasure is to see students who have done their best in achieving a range of results - whatever the grades."