WORCESTERSHIRE schools are celebrating after yet again improving their GCSE results, figures out today show.

However, there was a mixed performance in A-levels.

For the county, the percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSE A* to C grades, including English and maths – the government benchmark – is not only higher than the national average, but higher than last year’s figures.

In Worcestershire, the figure for 2010 is 54.9 per cent, up 6.1 per cent from 48.8 per cent in 2009. Nationally the figure is 53 per cent.

Councillor Marcus Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for education, said: “We are pleased to see that our pupils are performing better. Whilst there is a way to go, I’m delighted that the improvements, many of which the council has supported, are showing up.”

He said that based on the provisional figures released in the autumn, Worcestershire closed the gap between statistical neighbours which include Warwickshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire.

Hard working schools include Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, which achieved 94 per cent for five A* to C grades, 75 per cent including English and maths – the level used as a benchmark – along with The Chantry at Martley with 88 per cent (five or more) and 78 per cent (including English and maths) Headteacher Stephen Jowett said he was very pleased with the result.

“It is down to a lot of hard work and it is a combination of being blessed with a lot of students who really want to achieve and staff who work hard to get that from them. Pupils realise that the world is changing and they have to do their best to do well in later life.”

Private schools in the county also had GCSE success, with Dodderhill School in Droitwich achieving 96 per cent in both categories.

RGS Worcester also performed well, with 89 per cent (five or more) and 88 per cent (including English and maths). Andrew Rattue, headteacher said: “We see GCSE as a preparation for A-level and in order to be successful at A- level you need a good set of GCSE results and we have some very strong results this year. We do our best to ensure our pupils achieve as highly as they can. “ King’s School, Worcester, achieved a 99 per cent pass mark (five or more).

Deputy headteacher Sue Hincks said: “We are delighted with the results of all our students which represent a score of individual triumphs as grades continue to surpass our expectations.”

Performing less well in the grades including English and maths were schools such as Tudor Grange Academy Worcester (28 per cent) and Evesham High School (46 per cent). However both performed better in five or more with Tudor Grange Academy, 82 per cent, and Evesham High, 80 per cent.

Evesham High School headteacher Caroline Browne said English and maths being put together did not show the complete picture.

“We had 60 per cent of our students getting their English and 60 per cent also getting their maths, but only 46 per cent got both. We know we have work to do on this however and we are doing. Not all children are good at both English and maths, and we are putting extra effort into these pupils. But we are really pleased with the mark we got for the passes of five A* to C grades, which went up by 10 per cent.”

Claire Maclean, head of Tudor Grange Academy, Worcester, said they still had the legacy from when it was a failing school, but were working hard on these subjects and were hoping for great improvement in next year’s results.

Also shown in these figures is the way individual students have progressed since year six (aged 11) until they take their GCSEs.

These figures, called contextual value-added results, are thought by some to be a better way of measuring a school’s progress.

They can give a clearer picture of whether a school or college achieves good results because of its teaching, rather than just because it has a higher proportion of more able pupils.

Top performers included Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College with a figure of 1016.4, Evesham High School with 1001.4 and Martley’s Chantry School with 1014.7.

• Click the link below for the full table as it appears in today's Worcester News.

school_league_tables.pdf