COLCHESTER Royal Grammar School has been ranked the highest achieving state secondary school in East Anglia.

The selective school placed ninth nationally in a list revealed by Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide, today which looks at examination results from 2017 to 2019.

It found 91.3 per cent of students achieved between A* and B grades at A-level, while 78.3 per cent of pupils took home A*, A, 9, 8, and 7 grades at GCSE.

The school ranked ninth in the national table.

John Russell, headteacher of CRGS, said he was "incredibly proud" on behalf of his pupils and staff.

“Every percentage point is a student who has been able to take a significant step forward towards their goals and aspirations, and it is fantastic to see how these students have progressed as they have moved on to sixth form,  universities and employment," added Mr Russell

“What makes these results even more pleasing is this has all been achieved through the disruption of a pandemic.

"Our community has come together in the face of Covid-19 to support one another to achieve the highest of academic standards. Their efforts should be applauded.

“We can’t ignore, however, the last few months have also been challenging for the CRGS in other ways.

"We continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our school meets the highest of standards in every area of school life.”

It follows a turbulent year for the school after Ofsted rated it as inadequate after inspectors found students were subject to sexist and racist comments.

The Lexden school was visited by the education watchdog’s inspectors in the summer after former student Scarlett Mansfield sent inspectors hundreds of sexual abuse allegations from current and former pupils.

The damning report, published on the school’s website in July, stated parts of the school “have become a hostile environment for some pupils”.

Colchester County High School for Girls was placed at third in the table as statistics revealed 83.9 per cent of A level grades were at A* to B and 89.8 per cent of GCSEs were at A*, A or 9,8 or 7.

It meant the school ranked at 13th nationally.

St Thomas More’s RC Primary School in Colchester also won praise and was ranked at fourth for primary schools in East Anglia and 125th nationally.

Chipping Hill Primary School in Witham topped the primary school table for East Anglia.