TEACHERS and students at a leading independent school are celebrating after topping a new exams league table.

Last week, the Government unexpectedly announced that this year’s secondary school league tables, published today, would include the "English baccalaureate", showing what proportion of a school’s pupils got at least a C in English, maths, science, a language and either geography or history at GCSE.

The announcement came as a surprise to teachers, who were not told of the change in advance of last summer’s exams.

However, at Durham High School for Girls, in Durham City, 85 per cent of students attained the measure.

Ann Templeman, headmistress of the High School, said: "We’re absolutely delighted with the result. It shows what we stand for in terms of academic excellence.

"It’s very good news for us that we’ve been doing this all along and our girls have done really well.

"We’re immensely proud that we’ve come a very long way ahead of everybody else."

Other high performers included Durham School with 62 per cent, Barnard Castle School with 54 per cent at St Leonard’s RC Comprehensive, in Durham, with 34 per cent.

Park View Community School, in Chester-le-Street, scored 30 per cent, Durham Johnston School 29 per cent, Framwellgate School 27 per cent, Teesdale School, in Barnard Castle, 26 per cent and St Bede’s RC Comprehensive, in Lanchester, 21 per cent.

The County Durham average was 10.6 per cent, well below the national average of 15.6 percent.