There was joy aplenty at a Snaresbrook school today, as the number bagging A or A*s rose from last year.

There an increase of five per cent in the number of students securing the top two grades – accounting for about half of all pupils – with 84 per cent of those at Forest School, College Place, securing a place at university.

Star pupils include Cambridge-bound Anthony Graff and Zosha Partos, who both got four A*s.

Meanwhile Benjamin Spiers is off to Oxford after earning three A*s and two As.

He said: “I am usually quite understated in my reaction to things but even I was speechless when I saw my results. I am very pleased”.

At AS-level, there was a 12 per cent rise in the number of A grades awarded, the best ever AS results at Forest.

Referring to the sudden death in May of pupil Aashi Sinha, 18, school warden Sarah Kerr-Dineen, said: “I am delighted for our pupils that at the end of such a sad final year they have emerged with grades of which they can be very proud.

“I am particularly impressed that the proportion of A* grades rose and that half of all grades were at A or A*, given what we understand to be the depression of the top grades nationally this year”.