Welcome to Britain's brainiest school - where more than 30 pupils have IQs high enough to get into Mensa and eight students are as clever as Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

The hardworking boys from King's School in Grantham, Lincs., where Isaac Newton studied in 1655, were admitted to the super-smart society after passing the Mensa test.

Edward Roberts, 16, topped the scores at a staggering 161 points - one point higher than Stephen Hawking and the estimated score of Albert Einstein.

Seven other pupils at the school equalled the top scholars by scoring 160 points, while a further 19 scored so highly they are in the top one per cent of the population.

In order to be admitted into Mensa, applicants must score an IQ in the top two per cent of the population, or 148, while the average for the UK is currently 100.

Edward, who is currently studying AS Levels in music, French, biology and chemistry, said he was ''delighted'' to beat Einstein and Hawking.

He said: ''I was hoping to get into Mensa but it was a bit unexpected to do so well, my friends keep saying 'wow you're a genius'.

''I hope to go down the scientific route when I leave school and perhaps go into medicine or music, I'm undecided at the moment.''

Proud James Kelly, 12, a year eight pupil at the all-boy school, scored 160 points out of a possible 162 and said he was ''amazed'' he did so well.

He said: ''I am very pleased with my result. I just wanted to see my IQ and see if I could do any good so it is a great feeling to do so well.

''When I am older I would like to study maths then run my own business and this is a great start.''

Will Cleasby, 14, who also achieved 160 points, revealed his high result came as a ''complete shock''.

He said: ''I thought I had failed when I walked out of the room but I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I had got such a good mark.

''The test was different to anything I'd ever done before, and was a real challenge.''

The test was co-ordinated by King's School PTFA Chairman Ruth Crook, who has been a member of Mensa for 15 years.

Eighty pupils took the test with the majority missing out on a Mensa place by just a few marks.

Mrs Crook said the students had ''done brilliantly'' and described their achievement as ''fantastic''.

She said: ''It is a really lovely school and all of the boys here are fantastic. They have really done so well to get such good marks.

''There is no way to prepare for the test, the exercises are totally different from anything they will ever study so it is all down to natural ability.

''I was looking for new ways to fundraise for the school and saw that the boys could take Mensa exams so asked if anyone was interested.

''We had a large amount of interest and will definitely look at doing it again, particularly with such great results.''

Headmaster Charles Dormer said he was ''very proud'' of the boys but added that they also had a wide range of non-academic talents.

He said: ''It would be very easy to be envious of the boys because they are not just intelligent, they are articulate and thoughtful but also talented at sports and music.

''This is my first year as headmaster and if you can imagine how good it felt to take over Isaac Newton's old school and then have this great news, it is wonderful.

''The students here are all worthy of recognition and are very bright, respectful young men.''

John Stevenage, Chief Executive of British Mensa Ltd praised the result as ''excellent''.

He said: ''It is good to see so many pupils from the King's School have demonstrated an IQ in the top two per cent of the population, which is an excellent result for the school.''