Maida Vale pupils celebrate top GCSE results

Half the pupils at the school who took GCSE exams last summer achieved five or more grades A* to C including English and maths, an increase of 17 per cent from 2007.

After being congratulated on their results by Eastenders' star Joe Swash, they were treated to a private viewing of the observatory galleries and were given a trophy for their school.

In Westminster as a whole, the number of pupils gaining five good GCSE passes including English and maths rose by 3.7 per cent to 49.7 per cent.

Minister for London Schools, Sarah McCarthy-Fry, said: "I am delighted with these results which demonstrate that London schools and pupils are once again leading the way for the rest of the country.

"Now 15,400 more young people in the capital are achieving 5 or more good GCSEs including English and maths than they were in 1997.

"Many more teenagers are now continuing with their education due to the scope and flexibility of learning opportunities available to them.

"Much of this improvement is due to the hard work of the young people themselves, the dedication of their teachers and the support of parents.

"But our investment in London Challenge has also had a major impact on raising educational standards in the capital.

"However, we must not be complacent as we can still achieve further improvements and ensure that every young person leaves school on the path to success.

"This is why we have extended London Challenge until 2011; expanded the support it is providing to primary schools in London and committed to an ambitious set of pledges in the London Challenge Vision, which was published last year.

"The vast majority of London schools are improving year on year and those at the lowest level are receiving intensive support in order to meet our target.

"There is still more work to be done but everyone at St George's RC School and young people all across Westminster should be proud of these results."