Dumbarton and the Vale pupils are above the national average as thousands of youngsters received their exam results last Tuesday.

A total of 98 per cent of 2,073 pupils who sat exams received one or more awards – matching last year’s success.

Education bosses said a record 79 per cent of S5 pupils received a Higher qualification, up three per cent from last year. And they said the Highers results were 2 per cent above the national average.

West Dunbartonshire Council also said National 4 and National 5 exams also scored better than Scottish figures, beating them by 4.4 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively.

The local authority said there was particular success for S5 students at Vale of Leven Academy, who scored a 100 per cent pass rate in 14 of the 23 subjects tested.

There was also a 100 per cent pass rate for both English and mathematics Advanced Higher at Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School.

At Dumbarton Academy, English Higher passes were up 11 per cent.

As with previous years, the local authority did not reveal the numbers behind the percentages and only highlighted increases.

Councillor Karen Conaghan, convener of educational services, said: “It’s fantastic to see such success in the Higher examinations. Seeing results steadily improve year on year shows the hard work our pupils have put in and the dedication of the teachers who support them.

“It’s great to see improvements in literacy and numeracy figures which show we are continuing to equip our young people with the vital skills they need to succeed in adult life whatever career path they choose.”

From the Vale of Leven Academy, Rebecca Sproat managed to secure a place studying civil engineering at Glasgow University, meanwhile classmate Abbie Robertson will be attending to study architecture.

Jamie Reid, from Dumbarton Academy, achieved five Higher A’s and a B.

The pupil, who also swims competitively, will be staying on for 6th year to study Advanced Higher chemistry, biology and mathematics as well as Higher French and business management.

Jamie plans to use his exam results to go on and study medicine at Glasgow University.

And Our Lady and St Patrick’s pupil Iona Lynch will be leaving school to study Law and Italian at Glasgow University.

Caroline McAllister, vice convener of educational services, said: “I want to congratulate all our pupils on their achievements this year and wish them every success