Keighley and district GCSE students have once again proved they are top of the class.

Many pupils collecting their results yesterday discovered they had chalked up their hoped-for grades.

And schools were delighted with the pass rates.

At South Craven School, Cross Hills, the proportion of students obtaining five or more A*-C passes was 50 per cent - on a par with recent years.

Sixteen students achieved at least five A*/A grades, and the overall A*-G pass rate was 97 per cent. Outstanding individual performers included Simon Hunter, who achieved nine A*s and two As, and Eleanor Wilson, with six A*s and three As.

Head teacher Dr Andrew Cummings said: "We are pleased with our GCSE results and congratulate students and staff on their achievements, which are the result of hard work and commitment.

Results at Parkside School, Cullingworth, showed an overall improvement on last year.

Many students achieved their targets to take them forward to post-16 courses, with one pupil attaining A* in all her subjects.

Head teacher Dr Tony Rickwood said: "Our benchmark target of 55 per cent with five A*-C grades was exceeded and we have achieved many excellent results within individual departments.

"These results represent a great effort on behalf of the students and the teaching staff."

Holy Family School in Keighley achieved its best-ever results.

The number of pupils gaining five or more A*-C grades has risen for the sixth successive year, hitting a new high of nearly 58 per cent.

Head teacher Conor Davies congratulated the students and staff for their hard work.

Greenhead High School saw considerable improvements in both its GCSE and Key Stage 3 results.

Head teacher Tricia McCarthy said: "The GCSE results have risen to 37 per cent of Year 11 students achieving at least five A*-C - a rise of 15 per cent. This far outperformed the LEA target of 30 per cent.

"There were many outstanding performances, with 25 students gaining 10 or more A*-C, a truly outstanding achievement for any student, but one student - Sobia Bi - deserves special mention for gaining four A* and seven A grades.

"These results have come about through the hard work of all the students, the dedication of the staff and the continuing support of parents.

"They are the culmination of a successful year for Greenhead, with attendance rates up, being the first national champions for the Land Rover 4x4 challenge and clearing the budget deficit. The challenge for us now is to build on the successes of this year and attain even higher achievements in the future."

Oakbank School students also performed well. Head teacher Chris Thompson said there was an increased number of entries and higher average score per student.

He added: "Boys bucked the national trend, being less then two per cent below girls in achieving five A*-C grades. It is down to the high quality of teaching and learning at the school."

Chairman of governors Janice Firth added: "The positive trend that has developed over the last few years is continuing. Our ethos is to give all students the chance to achieve their potential. Often students who get average GCSE results go on to achieve highly in their A-levels if given the opportunity."

At Keighley College, three teaching assistants who all work at Hothfield Junior School in Silsden achieved B grades in GCSE maths. Janet Burgoyne, Karen Dent and June Seccombe decided to retake their GCSEs as mature students after getting D grades first time around.