A Menston school is celebrating once again achieving ‘best in Leeds’ performance results for GCSE and A-levels.

St Mary’s Menston achieved a higher percentage of students achieving A* to C grades in five GCSEs – including English and maths – than any other school in the district included in this week’s performance tables.

Eighty-four per cent of its pupils achieved that GCSE ‘benchmark’, while the Catholic school also gained the highest average A-level student score – 975.4 – in Leeds.

St Mary’s also excelled in the newly-introduced English Baccalaureate standard, with 40 per cent of its students – the second-highest level in Leeds – attaining C grades or better in English, maths, science, either history or geography, and a language.

Acting headteacher Catherine McMahon said: “Records have, yet again, been broken at both Key Stages 4 and 5.

“There is much to celebrate because many students have either met or exceeded their aspirational target grades, including the new A-level A* grade, requiring students to achieve above 90 per cent at A2.

“At Key Stage 4 we have achieved the best results in the school’s history. Ninety-two per cent of Year 11 students achieved five A* to C grades, and 83.5 per cent achieved five A* to C grades, including English and maths.

“There have been very many notable individual successes with students achieving a string of A* and A grades in all subjects.

“We are particularly pleased to have achieved so highly in the Government’s new measure of the English Baccalaureate.

“Considering St Mary’s is not a Specialist Language College, this is a most pleasing achievement upon which we will build in the future. These achievements are outstanding and reflect the hard work and positive attitudes of students, the dedication of staff members and terrific support from parents and governors.”

The performance results for 2009-2010 also made good reading for Guiseley School, Benton Park School at Rawdon, Horsforth School and Otley’s Prince Henry’s Grammar School, which all achieved strong results, as did the independent Woodhouse Grove School at Apperley Bridge.