Many Highbury Fields School students have overcome “challenging circumstances” to achieve “incredible successes” in their A-levels, claims the incoming head.

But former deputy Tim Fox, who takes over from long-standing head Gladys Berry, wasn't yet prepared to tell the Gazette how the school had done overall this morning.

Last year, Highbury Fields School celebrated its best ever set of results, with 84 per cent of students getting A* to C.

"We are incredible proud of all our students," said Mr Fox. "We are celebrating some incredible successes this morning, with some students who have come from challenging circumstances that have got As in their A-levels and are going on to some really good universities.

"And in the environment we are in, where everybody is saying exams are getting harder, it shows the children and staff here are able to rise to the challenge."

The Gazette asked for the school's results, but Mr Fox said: "I'm not going to give you an overall percentage at this moment in time."

Rufaida Haramein, 18, got As in maths and biology and is "really happy and overwhelmed" to have secured a place at Birmingham University to study aerospace engineering.

Iris Britwum, 18, was too nervous to open her results in public but was "satisfied" either way with her unconditional offer to study bio-medicinal science at Kent University.

Maryam Begum, 19, didn't want to divulge her results, either, but told the Gazette: "I'm actually really pleased and still kind of in shock, but it's a good shock. I'm really pleased I got the place to study English at Greenwich University."

Jenna Cahusac de Caux, who moved to London from Kuwait, got two As and a B and is off to study English literature at Bristol.

Ms Gladys said: "I'm absolutely delighted - it's all about the journeys of these individual students."