THE Royal Grammar School in Newcastle has topped GCSE independent school league tables’ for the North-East and North Yorkshire according to new figures.

With 83.4 per cent of candidates at RGS obtaining an A to A* at GCSE and 99 per cent getting an A* to C, the Tyneside school ran up the best points score per pupil among private schools in the region.

The second-highest points score per pupil across the region was achieved by Yarm School, where 76.9 per cent of candidates got an A to A* and 97.8 per cent achieved an A* to C.

St Peter’s School in York was the third top scoring independent school in the North-East and North Yorkshire with 64.6 per cent of candidates passing at A to A* and 97.7 per cent achieving an A* to C grade.

Narrowly behind St Peter’s was Durham High School for Girls, which was the fourth top performing independent school in the region and where 66.8 per cent passed at A to A* and 97.1 per cent achieved an A* to C grade.

Around a third of all GCSE entries from private schools across the country were awarded an A* this year.

In total, a typical teenager attending a fee-paying school scored the equivalent of two A* grades and seven As in the exams, according to an analysis by the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

ISC chairman Barnaby Lenon said students achieved a high proportion of top results in “hard” subjects, such as maths, the sciences and languages.