BOTH the Head Boy and Head Girl at Dame Allan’s Schools were celebrating achieving straight As as they picked up their A Levels results.

All the hard work and endless hours of revision paid off for Jack Chrisp and Maria Strong as they gained top results at the Newcastle school.

Maria, of Fenham, gained three A*s in history, psychology and philosophy while Jack, of Longhoughton, Alnwick, gained an A* in geography and As in history and philosophy.

Jack is heading to Durham University to study philosophy, while Maria is taking a gap year with the hope of studying sociology at the University of Edinburgh the following year.

She said: “I’m in shock because I didn’t believe I would do so well. I’m really happy with how well I’ve done, and I’m aiming to go to Edinburgh in 2019.”

Jack said: “I’m really relieved to get what I needed, and I no longer have to worry about the results. Now I can’t wait to go to Durham and to get started.”

The achievements of Jack and Maria were not the only success stories at Dame Allan’s with many students gaining the results they had worked hard for.

The Schools’ Principal, Dr John Hind, said: “It is always a tense time for pupils when studying for exams, so it is great to see so many happy faces when opening their envelopes.

“We are proud of the hard work our students put into their studies, and we wish them all the very best in whatever they chose to pursue in the future.”