A COLCHESTER school obtained close to a 100 per cent pass rate in their latest set of GCSE results.

St Mary’s School, an independent school in Lexden Road, had an overall pass rate of 98 per cent at grade 9 to grade 4, which is the equivalent of what was formerly known as grade A* to C.

Overall, 72 per cent of girls achieved marks in the highest bracket from grade 7 to 9 across science, technology, engineering, and maths subjects.

Results across biology and chemistry were stronger still, with 93 per cent of results in the two subjects sitting at level 7 to 9.

Nicola Griffiths, principal of St Mary’s Colchester, said the strong performance in the STEM subjects was particularly pleasing for the staff and pupils at the school.

She said: “I am incredibly proud of the girls’ accomplishments in their GCSE exams this year, especially the successes we have seen in STEM subjects.

“I am passionate about encouraging girls to aim high in all their academic subjects by learning from their mistakes and working consistently hard.

“This set of fantastic results is also a testament to the expertise of staff in supporting girls’ pastorally, as well as academically.”