As anxious students ripped open their GCSE exam results today, the borough was celebrating success across the board.

In the past seven years, GCSE pass rates have doubled, rising again to an average of 61 per cent of pupils getting five or more A*-C grades.

Fortismere School in Muswell Hill topped the charts with 99 per cent of exams passed and almost half of these were A*s and As.

But the spotlight this year was on Woodside High School in Wood Green, recently dubbed as “underperforming” by education secretary Ed Balls.

Last year the school only achieved 17 per cent of pupils gaining five As, Bs and Cs. The Government’s floor target is 30 per cent.

This year however the business and enterprise specialist school, now under the supervision of head Joan McVittie, can breathe a sigh of relief, as it reaches 28 per cent.

Mrs McVittie said: “It’s been an uphill struggle and the children have worked really hard. We’ve shown significant progress so I think the heat is off.

“This is the best result the school has ever had - so the pressure is on for next year.”

Three other Haringey schooles were identified by Mr Balls in a Government report: Greig City Academy in Hornsey, The John Loughborough School in Tottenham and St Thomas More RC School in Wood Green.

Today all these schools stormed through the target, with St John Loughborough making the biggest improvement from 19 per cent last year to 39 per cent this year.

The council set up an Interim Executive Board in February to run the Seventh Day Adventist school because perfomance was so low.

Cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Liz Santry said: "These are really exceptional results - they represent a wonderful achievement.

"Both students and staff at our schools deserve tremendous credit for their work.

"The biggest gains have been made at John Loughborough and show a remarkable turn-round since high level intervention by our Children and Young People Service.

"We look forward to John Loughborough sustaining that improvement."

At Alexandra Park School in Bidwell Gardens, every single pupil walked away today with at least one GCSE qualification.

Outgoing headteacher Roz Hudson said: “I am absolutely thrilled. This is a terrific set of results. "They are our best ever and our students deserve enormous praise - they worked incredibly hard and have achieved brilliantly. Congratulations."

Check back later for more results and success stories.