Another sixth form is "delighted" as its students achieve above-average A level grades.

Students at the Blue Coat School are celebrating today with many having achieved results "significantly higher" than students across the country.

Among those who achieved exceptional results are Jiya Dhoot, who achieved four A* grades across the board and will be studying maths with physics at Warwick University, while Jack Buckley (3A*), Ethan Penny (3A*) and Phoebe Broster (A*, A, A) all secured places at Oxford University, studying computer science, philosophy, politics and economics, and history respectively.

Shyla Khan, who achieved outstanding GCSE results and has been determined to study medicine from an early age, has achieved her dream having scored A* in every subject and is off to Leeds University.

The youngster also worked hard outside of her studies to support care charities around Oldham, Tameside and Bury - and even organised her fellow classmates to write thank you messages to key workers in the pandemic.

The school said she is a "selfless, resilient, hardworking, mature young person who will be a real asset to the medical profession".

Other notable high achievers at the school included Ruby Parker, from Denshaw, who is a passionate netballer and "sporting and academic success".

Ms Park will continue playing the sport she loves while studying politics and international relations at Birmingham University.

Head boy Ethan Penny will be off to study politics, philosophy and economics at Worcester College Oxford.

Mr Penny has his sights set for a career in politics or government and has been particularly interested in youth engagement - and even devised a mentoring programme for A level students while bringing about the school's first ever 'culture day'.

The youngster is also a youth officer for his constituency in Oldham, an executive committee member of the Young Fabian Society, a student ambassador for the Social Mobility Foundation and has won many accolades for his writing and translating, including being crowned an 'Adam Smith Institute' winner.

When it came to apprenticeships, Zahrah Ashiq excelled in securing a four-year degree apprenticeship at CISCO after studying chemistry, mathematics and computer science at the Blue Coat School.

During her studies, Ms Ashiq wrote blogs, compared Samsung smartwatches, built a website using Oxygen builder, CSS and WordPress plug-ins, all while helping at home with family duties.

A "phenomenal musician", Toby Johnson-Jones, from Greenfield, has been playing French horn for almost nine years and has been an active member in events like Founders Day, Oldham Parish Church services and the Easter concert.

Mr Johnson-Jones liked playing in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Opera North Youth Orchestra and was a member of the junior Royal Northern College of Music, where he won several awards.

The school said: "Toby was and is one of the most talented and dedicated musicians to have studied in the Blue Coat Sixth Form."

Meanwhile, Hussain Ali, from Glodwick, is the only member of his family to study A levels and go on to university - the high achiever will be studying law at Bristol University.

With results returning to pre-pandemic levels this year, headteacher Rob Higgins said it was the first set of external examinations this cohort of students has ever sat.

Mr Higgins said: "The challenge of your first exam to be a rigorous and robust A level paper is one that should not be underestimated.

"It's wonderful to see the students achieve the results they deserve and have worked hard for.

"This year we’ve had success across all subjects which is great to see.

"Once again, our students have achieved top grades in the STEM subjects, humanities, social sciences, languages and across a wide range of practical subjects, which is testament to the broad curriculum that students can study at Blue Coat.

"As a result, our students have now secured places on the most competitive courses at the most competitive universities to study a wide range of subjects on the next stage of their journey.

"It has also been pleasing to see how many of our students have taken up degree apprenticeships this year, particularly with our local business partners who we now have established employment pathways with."

The head thanks staff for "all their hard work", alongside pastoral care for their support and families for encouraging and reassuring their pupils.

He added: "It really is a team effort.

"We wish every single one of our students the very best for the future and have no doubt that they will continue to make us proud in their future achievements."