Buxton School is celebrating after more than half of students at got a grade 5 or above in English GCSEs.

Headteacher at the school in Leytonstone Kath Wheeler said: “We expected the exams to be harder this year and have been determined to develop the resilience of our pupils to cope in more demanding situations. We have had 51 per cent of pupils get a grade 5 or above in English, which is very pleasing when we have students from all backgrounds, and there are 80 different languages spoken in the school.

“With the exams being so much harder we are very pleased with such amazing English results.”

Buxton student Tahlia Grant got the top grade 9 in English Literature, scored an 8 in religious studies and a 7 in biology, as well as 6s in history and chemistry. In physics, maths and music she scored a 5.

The 16-year-old said she found her GCSEs challenging after her mother gave birth to twin boys just months before the exams.

“It’s been a very loud house for quite a while so sometimes it was hard to study,” she said.

Tahlia wants to go to City and Islington College to study Science, Biology, Chemistry and History at A Level.

“I found the exams really scary but just kept telling myself I t can’t give up, she said. “

My parents and teachers have been really supportive and I’m really excited to be going to college”

Classmate Simra Rashid, 16, also scored 8s in English and Maths, as well as sevens in religious studies and biology and sixes in chemistry and physics and a C in Urdu.

She will be going on to study Maths, English and Physics at Leytonstone College.

“I’m really pleased with most of my results,” she said.

“I started revising really early and felt like I really put the effort in and it’s paid off.”

Murtaza Rasod, 16, was one of the top performing boys at the school. He managed grade sevens in English, physics, maths and religious studies, as well as sixes in history, art, chemistry and biology.

“The exams were tough,” he said.