NATIONALLY girls may have outperformed boys but at Bolton School they were equally matched.

Each division posted a 99 per cent pass rate of pupils getting five or more A*to C GCSEs including English and maths.

Sue Hincks, head of girls' division, said: "We are delighted with a very impressive set of GCSE results.

"Over 71 per cent of grades were at A* or A grade and 34.7 per cent were A*.

"The value added grades for all the girls are superb.

"Two thirds of the girls achieved at least eight A or A* grades. A fifth of the girls achieved 8 A* grades or higher with one girl gaining 13 A* grades and seven girls achieving 11* or more A* grades.

"A number of girls took Further Maths as an extra-curricular option and, between them, they achieved 11 A* grades and two double A* grades."

Philip Britton, head of boys' division, said: "I am very pleased and proud of the achievements of all the boys today — from those with a full set of top A* grades to those who have worked hard to ensure they have passed their subjects well.

"It is an important feature of independent schools that our results are not only about very able people getting very good results but also about adding real value — in terms of results and in a much wider sense — to every boy."