Pupils and school sixth forms throughout the Richmond Borough celebrating their A level results have also helped the increase the borough’s A* to C grades.

Overall 84 per cent of Richmond’s school sixth forms received A* to C grades – which beat the national average of 76 per cent.

Cllr Penny Frost, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Schools, said: “I would like to send my congratulations to all the students who have received their A-Level results.

“It is good to see that the results are up from last years and I look forward to supporting the schools as they work to drive up the grades even further.

“I wish all the students the best of luck in the future. Whether they are going onto university, employment, apprenticeship or further training - I hope you all reach your full potential.”

The quantity of the Borough’s entries achieving A* to B grades was also considerably above the national average – and the same for students achieving the top A* to A grades, which has increased to 32 per cent.

These results are particularly impressive alongside the decline to the same measure nationally.

The overall pass rate was also in line with the national average.