ONE of the country's leading independent girls’ school is celebrating the best A-Level results in its illustrious 131-year history.

Roedean pupils have broken all records in achieving 96 per cent A* to C in this summer’s exams.

Other Sussex schools celebrating this morning include Varndean College, where students have improved on the 78 per cent A* to C grades from last year.

Last year’s record-breakers Brighton College, who in 2015 came away with a staggering 98.2 per cent A* to B, saw a slight drop but still recorded an impressive 96.6 per cent.

Thousands of pupils across the county will be nervously ripping open envelopes this morning with university courses, apprenticeships and job offers awaiting them.

Nationally experts are predicting a slight increase in the number of top grades being awarded coupled with warnings of "greater volatility" in marks.

Analysis of the entry levels for the traditionally top-scoring subjects, such as maths, indicates the percentage of students achieving an A or A* will increase.

And boys are expected to extend their lead over girls in achieving the very top grade thanks in the main to an increased male take-up of maths, according to professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University.

Last year, boys held a 0.9 per cent lead over girls at A* grade, although girls had a 0.4 per cent lead at A and A* grade combined - having out-performed boys every year since the millennium.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union, said that teachers and students had struggled to get to grips with new syllabuses which were brought in this year and could impact results.

The Government introduced changes to the subject content of all AS and A-levels last year which saw mid-course exams scrapped.

Roedean Headmaster Oliver Blond said: "I am proud of the girls’ successes, and believe that their results will place Roedean amongst the top girls’ schools in the country."

Varndean College Principal Dr Philip Harland said: “Varndean College looks set to have outstanding value- added again this year, as students achieve higher grades than their previous GCSE results predict."

For all the breaking news on A-level results day today see theargus.co.uk for our live blog.

For full results and comprehensive coverage from across the county, see tomorrow's paper.