TWO schools in York headed up a list of North Yorkshire's top private schools.

Bootham School and St Peter's School ranked first and second in a list showing how pupils at independent schools in North Yorkshire performed in their GCSE exams.

The list, based on data provided by the Independent Schools Council, showed the average points score among the 77 candidates sitting their exams at Bootham was 69 per cent, with St Peter's average points score 67 per cent among 100 students.

Schools are ranked by a points score showing the average GCSE points achieved per candidate where an A*-grade scores eight points and a G-grade one.

Bootham's GCSE results showed they had 13 students with ten or more A/A* grades, including one student who notched up 12.

Two Bootham pupils scored one of the top five marks for GCSE religious studies. Michael Flinders, who got 12 As and A*s, and Sophie De Nunzio, who got 11 As and A*s.

Overall, the results showed girls and boys performing equally well across the subjects and high grades in the reported shortage areas of maths, physics and modern languages.

At St Peter's School, Year 11 GCSE results showed in geography 67 per cent of pupils gained A* and more than 90 per cent A/A*, with history at 46 per cent A* and 85 per cent A/A*.

Overall results for St Peter's saw over a third of pupils achieving A* and over two thirds A/A*.

Head teacher Richard Smyth said: "GCSEs are the first real academic test for many of our pupils. These results are a testimony to their hard work and commitment and the way they have dealt with what can be very onerous course work. All our pupils have acquitted themselves well."

Queen Margaret's School, Escrick, came in third, with 57 pupils getting an average points score of 65, and The Mount, York, was fourth. Across the year group, pupils at The Mount gained some of the top marks in the country for their GCSE results in a range of subjects.

Pocklington School came second of the three independent schools in East Yorkshire, with 99 pupils taking their exams and students getting an average of 63 points per pupil.