Dozens of secondary schools from across the region are languishing at the bottom of the league tables for key stage three tests in English, maths and science.
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Hull is Yorkshire's worst performing authority, ranked fourth from bottom out of 149 councils across the country while Leeds has four schools ranked among England's bottom 50.
South Leeds High School recorded the fifth worst results nationally with less than a third of its pupils achieving the expected level five in English and science and 38 per cent making the grade in maths.
The school was also ranked bottom in the country in the Government's table which aims to show what impact a school has had on a pupil's education by comparing their results against children from similar backgrounds with similar previous grades.
Three of the new academies in Yorkshire were among the nation's worst performers with Sheffield Springs ranked 12th bottom, David Young Community Academy, in Leeds, ranked 25th bottom and Barnsley Academy achieving the 36th worst results in the country. All three of the Government's flagship schools were opened in August 2006 to transform standards in deprived urban areas.
Nationally the figures showed more pupils struggled with maths as results dropped compared with the previous year with 76 per cent of students reaching level five.
In English 74 per cent of pupils achieved level five, up one per cent from last year, while the number of students making the grade in science also went up by one per cent to 73 per cent.
Shadow Children's Secretary Michael Gove said: "It is deeply disappointing that yet another year has gone by with no improvement in literacy and maths results going backwards.
"Even more concerning is the fact that tens of thousands of pupils are making no progress at all between the ages of 11 and 14.
"We urgently need to deal with this problem with standards in the first three years of secondary school."
Schools Minister Jim Knight said: "I am impatient to see more progress made and see more pupils reach the levels expected for 14-year-olds."
He said "innovative" new maths lesson materials will be available for schools, while the bursary for trainee maths teachers will rise to £9,000 to attract new staff.
The Government claims its contextual value-added (CVA) league table gives the best indication of each schools' effectiveness.
Feversham College, an all girls school in Bradford, which was the first Muslim state school in the country, was Yorkshire's best performing school using the CVA measure, as it was named 11th best in the country.
While South Leeds High School and Endeavour High and David Lister School in Hull feature in a list of schools which are judged to be adding the least value to their pupils' performance.
Hull Council's education bosses claim plans to rebuild the city's secondary schools through the Building Schools for the Future Programme will help to transform standards.
The authority's cabinet member for lifelong learning, Coun Mike Ross, said: "In a sense league tables don't give a completely accurate picture but we accept that where we are in Hull is not good enough."
Praise for improvement in results
Case Study 1: A GIRLS' school in Bradford has been singled out for praise from the Government for improving its key stage three results every year since 2004.
Belle Vue Girls' School has been named as the fourth most improved school in the country and received a letter of congratulations from the schools minister Jim Knight.
It features in a table measuring the progress of schools which have seen the numbers of pupils reaching the expected levels in English, maths and science increase year-on-year from 2004 to 2007 in the key stage three national curriculum tests.
In 2004 only half of its pupils reached level five in English, less than half made the grade in maths and less than a third achieved it science.
However last summer 74 per cent of girls achieved level five in English, 65 per cent made the grade in maths and 55 per cent reached level five in science.
The all-girl school in Heaton, Bradford, has been a specialist language college since 2003 and head teacher Margaret Platts believes building up international links has helped raise aspirations. The school has just over a thousand pupils, the majority of Asian background.
She said: "We are delighted with the news of our position in the key stage three most improved schools' list.
"This is further confirmation of the effectiveness of the work in the school and we are absolutely delighted."
She attributed the success to a personalised curriculum, and a mentoring and intervention programme supported by individualised pastoral support.
Size really is important says head teacher
Case Study 2: THE head teacher with Yorkshire's best test results for 14-year-olds said the success was down to the smaller size of the school. He warned that "super schools" with 2,000 pupils or more will not work.
Ripon Grammar School is named in the top 20 state schools in the country today for the number of pupils who reached the expected levels in English, maths and science in key stage three test results.
The selective school in North Yorkshire saw all 115 of last year's year nine pupils achieve level five results in the key subjects. It was one of 31 schools in the country to achieve a 100 per cent success rate in all three subjects and is ranked 15th best in England, based on the number of pupils who made the grade.
The school's head Martin Pearman said: "The size of the school is important. We have 826 pupils which probably makes us about average for secondary schools across the country. The size of our school gives us a strong sense of community. I can get to know all of the students, the staff know the students and the students know all of the staff even if they are not taught by them."
It was revealed last year that the number of pupils being taught in "titan schools" of 2,000 pupils or more is on the increase with more than 50,000 pupils being educated in schools of this size and many more going to secondary schools with rolls of more than 1,500.
Ripon Grammar was one of several Yorkshire state schools which selects its pupils on the basis of ability to be named among the top 200 schools in the country along with North Halifax Grammar, Ermysted's Grammar in Skipton, Crossley Heath School in Halifax, Skipton Girls' High and Heckmondwike Grammar. Dixons Academy in Bradford, which selects a set number of pupils from different ability groups, also finished in the top 200 schools.The full article contains 1194 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
