PUPILS and staff at a high-flying girls' college are celebrating its inclusion in a national newspaper's top 10 list of best-performing schools in the region.

Malvern Girls' College, Avenue Road, Malvern, has hit the sixth spot in the top 10 independent secondary schools in the Midlands.

The list has been compiled by the Sunday Times and featured in yesterday's 64-page Parent Power supplement, a guide to Britain's top independent schools.

The ranking is based on performance of the pupils in exams, with 75.2 per cent of the school's GCSE grades an A* or A, and 80.2 per cent of its A-Level results an A or B.

The college, which has 380 pupils, is one of the few establishments to have climbed the table since last year, when it came 10th.

Nationally, the school has also jumped from 77th place last year to 62nd position this year.

"It's always pleasing to feel we're making progress," said headteacher Pippa Leggate.

"We encourage our students to do their very best - not just in academic performance but in sports, arts and music and all spects of a good broad-based education."

"I really think it's a 'can do' ethos."