EPPING Forest College has claimed substantial improvements in it first exam results under new principal Jeannie Wright.

Although an overall pass rate had yet to be confirmed, the college, in Borders Lane, Loughton, said A2 results were up by nine per cent and AS levels had also improved.

The new photography course had proved particularly successful with four students gaining the highest grade.

Among them Elise Humphrey, 18, from Buckhurst Hill gained an A in photography to go with the B in art and C in English she received from Davenant Foundation School.

She will now take up a place at Derby University.

She said: “I'm happy. It was a really good course and I'm really pleased to get an A, I didn't expect it to be honest. I'm going to go raving.”

Emily Longstaff, 18, from Hainualt, scored As in art and photography, and will now move on to the University of Arts, in London.

She said: “I'm really happy. I'll possibly go out with some friends to celebrate. I'm going to go to university and I hope to maybe be a lecturer one day.”

Interim principal Jeannie Wright said: “A lot of the courses have 100 per cent pass rate so there's a definite sign of an upward trend which we're really pleased with.

“It's been without doubt a lot of hard work for everybody. It's been a lot of change but the staff have worked really hard and there's a real will here to go forward and get better.”