MALVERN Girls' College has been ranked in the top 50 independent schools in the country for its 2006 GCSE results.

The table, in which Malvern Girls College in Avenue Road comes 48th, is based on data provided by the Independent Schools Council.

Schools are ranked by a point score showing the average GCSE points achieved per candidate where an A* grade scores eight points and a G grade scores one.

Fifty girls sat their GCSE's at Malvern Girls' College this summer and the average number of points they achieved was 70.25.

The percentage of students achieving an A or A* in one or more of their papers was 66.02 per cent and 98.34 per cent of students achieved A* to C grades.

At the top of the table was St Paul's School in London where the average points scored by the 166 pupils who sat the exams was 82.10 and the percentage achieving an A or A* was 93.29 per cent.

Malvern Girls' College's top results means it is top of the Worcestershire independent schools league, followed by The Alice Ottley School in Upper Tything, Worcester. There, the average points score of the 67 students who sat the exams was 67.77 while 51.93 per cent received an A* or A.

The King's School in Worcester came fourth with an average point score of 65.5 and 61.72 per cent of pupils getting an A* or A, followed by the Royal Grammar School in Upper Tything where the average points score was 64.27 and the percentage of pupils with an A* or A was 63.

St Mary's Convent School in Battenhall was sixth where the 25 students received an average points score of 63.4 and 45.63 per cent received an A* or A. At the bottom of the list was St James' in Malvern in tenth place, and Bowbrook House School in Malvern in 11th place.

The average points score at St James' was 56.54 and 43.61 at Bowbrook House School.

HERE'S HOW THEY ARE RATED:-

From left to right after school name, the columns show: number of candidates for exams; average points score per candidate; percentage of exam entries awarded grades A or A*; percentage of exam entries awarded grades A* to C.

1. Malvern Girls' College 50 70.25 66.02 98.34

2. The Alice Ottley School 64 67.77 51.93 97.81

3. Bromsgrove School 134 66.05 55.84 95.04

4. The King's School, Worcester 123 65.05 61.72 97.98

5. Royal Grammar School, Worcester 74 64.27 63.00 98.14

6. St Mary's Convent School 25 63.40 45.63 96.43

7. Whitford Hall and Dodderhill School 17 63.32 53.31 97.59

8. Malvern College 91 60.02 47.83 95.77

9. Heathfield School, Kidderminster 19 58.37 42.86 98.29

10. St James's 25 56.54 45.47 90.95

11. Bowbrook House School 18 43.61 18.03 68.85