The borough’s secondary schools saw a mixed bag of results when the Government published its latest league tables – and some apparently startling figures.

Schools that increased their share of benchmark grades – five GCSEs of A* to C grade, including English and maths – included Southborough High School, Richard Challoner, and Chessington Community College.

Chessington principal Rob Niedermaier-Reed told parents: “Never in the school’s history have we done so well.

“This is particularly impressive in a year where the rules were changed to make the examination system more difficult and most schools nationally declined.”

But Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, a former Surbiton High School pupil, said: “By pegging our exams to the best in the world, we are restoring rigour and giving students the skills they need to succeed in modern Britain.”

The Government’s tables appeared to show that no Kingston Grammar School student achieved the benchmark, but assistant headteacher Nick Bond said this was because it had not counted the international GCSEs they had taken.

Surbiton High School’s share of benchmark grades appeared to fall from 97 percent to 13 per cent, also as a result of the iGCSE.

Principal Ann Haydon said: “We feel that some of the rigorous iGCSE courses best prepare our pupils for their A-level and university courses and we will continue to choose the courses and qualifications which best prepare our pupils for the future. We will not be slaves to league tables.”

The real rate was 100 percent, she added.