Region's schools rise to meet tougher targets

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LEAGUE TABLES IN FULL

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The Government's education reforms include a demand that all secondary schools should get at least 35 per cent of pupils to achieve five good GCSE grades including English and maths.

Schools will be tagged as under performing and targeted for intervention if they fail to reach this mark and do not keep up with the national average level of progress being made by pupils in the two core subjects between the age of 11 and 16.

This tough new framework raised fears the number of schools failing to reaching the floor target would surge in Yorkshire.

But improved GCSE results revealed in league tables published yesterday mean the number of failing schools in the region has actually dropped.

In 2010 45 state schools in Yorkshire missed the old target of getting 30 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to C GCSEs including maths and English. The latest figures show that only 40 secondary schools missed the new tougher benchmark of 35 per cent.

Education bosses across Yorkshire have hailed the progress shown in the league tables – including in some of the region's worst-ranked authorities.

Barnsley was the lowest–ranked authority based on GCSE results this year followed by Hull and Bradford which all finished in the bottom 10 nationally.

These three authorities and Sheffield all had less than half their pupils achieve five good GCSE passes including English and maths, but all delivered improved results.

Councillors hailed the progress being made by pupils and staff in their schools.

Barnsley Council's cabinet member for children and young people's services Coun Linda Burgess said "I'm pleased to acknowledge the continued improvement of our young people. The imminent opening of the wonderful new secondary learning centres across Barnsley will help us all to continue this upward trend."

The new centres are being opened with Building Schools for the Future cash.

Bradford Council and Education Bradford said the district's record results showed a "step change" had taken place in its schools.

Feversham College, a Muslim girls school in the city was ranked in the top five per cent nationally for its "Contextual Value Added" score which aims to show how much impact a school has on a pupil's education by comparing their results with those of children from similar backgrounds and with their own results from a younger age.

A joint statement from the council and Education Bradford also highlighted the fact that 11 secondary schools in the city achieved improvement rates at GCSE of five per cent or more. The highest was at the Appleton Academy which saw the level of students getting five good GCSEs, including English and maths, leap from 27 per cent in 2009 to 47 per cent in the latest tables.

Coun Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's executive member for education and children's services, said: "This is great news for Bradford and reflects the efforts and dedication of all those working to improve opportunities for young people here."

Sheffield Council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, Coun Colin Ross, praised the city's schools for closing the gap with the national average GCSE results.

The level of pupils hitting the Government benchmark has increased nationally by seven per cent since 2006 while in Sheffield it has risen by 12 per cent.

Education bosses in Leeds have also hailed record results which have seen the number of young people in the city's schools achieving five or more GCSEs including English and maths rise from 45.9 per cent in 2009 to 50.6 per cent last summer.

This year's tables include new information showing parents what schools spend their money on. They also reveal how many pupils achieved the Government's new English Baccalaureate given to students who achieve at least a C at GCSEs in English, maths and a science, humanity and language subject.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "This is the most detail parents and the public have ever had about how children are performing in England's secondary schools."