GIRLS in Bromsgrove showed the boys just what they were made of when they collected their long awaited GCSE examination results.

The fairer sex came out on top at North Bromsgrove High School where outgoing head Kevin Peck expressed his delight with the best-ever GCSE results achieved at the school.

Rachel Fenn, of Grayshott Close, Sidemoor, did exceptionally well scooping ten A*s and one grade A. The sixteen-year-old plans to return to the School Drive school to study for her A-levels and says she would like to go to university.

Budding journalist Emma Crane, of The Dock, Catshill, exceeded her own expectations when she collected eight A*s and four As. The overjoyed teenager will also return to school in September and would like to eventually join a newspaper.

However, it wasn't all bad news for the boys as Luke Butler, of Meadow Road, Catshill, turned in an impressive performance picking up five As, three Bs and one C.

The sixteen-year-old admitted he was a little disappointed with his results but still intends to pursue his dreams of doing a degree in law.

Mr Peck said: "We are of course delighted for those who have turned in these exceptional performances but it is just as satisfying that the success is widely spread, with a larger than ever proportion of the year group obtaining five or more grade A* to C."

National league tables show that girls are outperforming the boys by almost ten per cent; 62.4 per cent of girls passed at least five of their exams at grades A* to C, compared with 53.4 per cent of boys.

This remained the theme at Waseley Hills High School in Rubery where the school enjoyed its highest ever pass rate, with 58 per cent, beating the national average of 57.9 per cent.

Bright spark Laura Bradford was brimming with delight when she collected eight A*s and two A grades and Patrick Ebbutt picked up four A*s and two grade As.

Caring Laura Chambers, of Chapelfield Mews, Rubery, was overjoyed to achieve one A grade and seven C grades. The passes mean she can take the next steps in fulfilling her dream to become a nurse in the Royal Air Force.

The ambitious 16-year-old now plans to study for her A-levels at Waseley's sixth form centre in School Road.

Headteacher David Thurbon said: "I am delighted with the results and congratulate all students on their success. I would like to thank staff for their hard work and parents for their support."

But on the other side of town at South Bromsgrove High School one of the boys came up trumps. Robert Watt collected 11 A*s, while Stacey Beard followed closely behind with ten A*s and one A.

The Charford Road school is celebrating its best-ever GCSE results, with 64 per cent of pupils achieving five passes graded A* to C.

Headteacher Phil McTague said: "This is a school that is really going places with excellent results at all levels, superb resources, recent massive financial input, high quality and dedicated staff and a passion for excellence."

And there were smiles all round at Frankley Community High School where pupils improved their GCSE performance this year by a massive 21 per cent. Six years ago only five per cent of pupils at the New Street school passed their exams at grades A* to C.

But after years of hard work from both staff and pupils the school has managed to raise its pass rate to 56 per cent, just two per cent below the national average.

Deputy headteacher Sharon Simpson said: "We are absolutely ecstatic, this is a really fantastic day."

Exceptional grades were achieved by Gary Wilson, who passed 11 GCSEs with A*s and Aimee Allgood who passed no less than 20 GCSEs at grades A to C. Champagne corks could also be heard at Bromsgrove School in Worcester Road where 94 per cent of pupils passed five GCSEs at grades A* to C.

Talented linguist Marion Jeavans collected ten A*s and also a grade A in A-level French, while Jonathan Bird also picked up ten A*s and a grade A in AS-level maths.