WHILE most Oxfordshire students still face weeks of fretting to learn how they fared in exams, scores of relieved teenagers have already had results.

Beaming smiles of students and proud parents were in abundance at St Edward’s School, St Clare’s and Headington School on Friday, as grades for the International Baccalaureate (IB) were published.

The independent schools and the EF Academy are the only centres in Oxford to offer the IB diploma programme, which is an alternative to A-Levels for 16-18 year-olds.

It comprises of six subjects and supporters say it develops well-rounded pupils who are better prepared for university.

Entrants are marked out of 45 and anything above 40 is regarded as equivalent to a string of A* and A grades at A-Level.

St Edward’s in Summertown, better known as Teddies, said it was ‘delighted’ by the results of its 78 entrants this year.

Warden Stephen Jones said: “The IB has been embraced by Teddies pupils and it is truly heartening to see so many young people opting for the IB’s substantial workload.

“The qualification’s breadth and rigour is rightly valued by universities, and pupils learn a great deal from the IB’s extra dimension – the creativity, action and service components.”

This year the school celebrates its 10th year since it started offering the IB, and 50 per cent of its sixth formers took the diploma instead of A-Levels.

Mr Jones added: “It is important that pupils have a choice so they can work to their strengths and choose their own pathway.”

In March the Oxford Times launched its second bursary competition with Teddies, offering a state pupil in Oxford the chance to study the IB diploma from 2019, who could not otherwise afford to.

Armela Lasku from Headington, who was one of the recipients of this paper’s first bursary contest with the school in 2013, was among those picking up results on Friday.

The 17-year-old, who scored 42 points and will read law at Oxford University, said: “Winning the bursary and going on to study the IB at St Edward’s has been a wonderful experience.

“I picked the IB when I reached Sixth Form as I felt it would give me the broadest possible education, something which is vital for the study of law.”

Teddies twin sisters Flora and Kitty Lloyd from Warborough both secured places at Edinburgh University to study applied sport science, with 39 and 37 points respectively.

Two pupils secured places to study medicine at university – Molly van der Heiden with 42 points and Annabelle Parkhouse with 38 points.

A high-achiever at Headington School was among just 0.34 per cent of students worldwide to achieve the maximum possible mark of 45.

Skye Page-Croft, 18, said: “My main emotion when I opened my results was disbelief, just complete shock – I had to check a couple of times.

“I still feel astonished but really proud and really grateful as well – I know if I wasn’t at this school I would not necessarily have got these grades.”

Following a gap year she will study philosophy and Spanish at Edinburgh University.

This year a record number of 31 pupils at Headington took the IB, and three other girls also scored 44 points.

Among them was Freya Mosedale, who said: “I feel very grateful to my teachers and I think all of them have been incredibly supportive - they’ve been so amazing and gone above and beyond for me.”

Headington’s headmistress Caroline Jordan said: “We are delighted to be able to offer the choice of IB and A-Levels to our sixth formers, allowing the girls to choose the curriculum that best suits them.

“These are a fantastic set of results in this challenging and rigorous programme and we are delighted for the girls and for their teachers.”

Back in Summertown St Clare’s – the longest-established IB institute in England – saw family-centred celebrations.

It said three alumnae who took the IB in the mid 1980s returned to school, to see their children achieve success in their own IB diplomas at the school.

One pupil also gained the top score of 45.

The school’s vice principal of academics, Cormack Kirby, said: “Once again St Clare’s students achieved outstanding results.

“It was especially pleasing to see that, for the second year running, five students gained places at prestigious UK universities to study medicine.

“This proves once again that the IB, for all its breadth, allows students to develop the specialist skills and knowledge for all possible career options.”

Applications for the Oxford Times and St Edward’s bursary close on October 15 and more details can be find by visiting stedwardsoxford.org/admissions/ib-diploma-bursaries.