LORETO Grammar School headteacher Jane Beever says the secret of the top Altrincham Catholic school's academic success is to allow the girls to explore outside the curriculum.

With more than two thirds of all grades either A* or A and 91% at A* to B, Mrs Beever said: “The fact the Loreto is not an exam factory helps the girls to flourish. We want them to develop in all areas of their lives not just in the classroom and it is that freedom to explore that enables them to rise to all the challenges and realise their full potential.

"We are more than a school, we are a community.”

Pictured from left to right on the back row are: Sophia Fernandez, 16, from Sale, who got four A*s and six As; Georgia Staunton, 16, from Sale, who got five A*s and four A grades; Joy Burgess-Carabini, 16, from three A*s and eight As; Lois Kelly, 16, from Hazel Grove, who got eight A*s and two As and Anne-Marie Woolham, who got eight A*s and two As.

On the middle row are Frankie Allsop, 16, from Hale who got seven A*s and three As; Ann Hanna, 15, from Sale, who got 12 A*s, Anastasia Khukarut, 16, from Sale who got eight A*s and three As; Jemina Kerney, 16, from Altrincham who got seven A*s and four A grades and Aisling McGee, 16, from Sale who got five A*s and four As.

On the front row are Tori Bannister, 16, from Bowdon, who got seven A*s and three A grades; Isabel Clancy, 16, from Altrincham, who got 10 A*s and one A and Rachel Donnachie, 16, from Altrincham, who got nine A*s and one A.