Teenagers in Hertfordshire are performing above the national average in their GCSE exams, despite a fall from last year's results.

The latest figures from the Department for Education show that 65.8 per cent of pupils in the county achieved five or more A* - C grades, which is a fall of half a per cent since 2013. 

This is compared to the national performance figures, which show that the number of people achieving the higher GCSE grades has dropped by 4.7 per cent to 55.9 per cent in 2014.

A number of schools in St Albans reported another year of record-breaking results, with particular triumphs in strong academic subjects such as maths and english. 

At Sir John Lawes in Harpenden, 20 students celebrated obtaining more than nine A and A* grades. A record breaking 63 percent of students gained A* across the all subjects at Sty Albans High School for Girls and at Roundwood Park more students than ever achieved A* to C grades. 

Chris Hayward, Hertfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, said: "We are immensely proud of the achievements of our young people and the teachers who have helped them be successful in their recent exams. "We are delighted with the performance of all our schools where some 82 per cent of all schools across the board are receiving ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ reports from Ofsted. Our aim is to make that figure 100 per cent by 2017.

"It really is a credit to everyone involved in education in Hertfordshire that our schools continue to be among the best in the country. By achieving better than pupils nationally, Hertfordshire pupils are in a much better position for the next level of their education or training to achieve their full potential."