Schools shine in league tables (From Warrington Guardian)

Schools shine in league tables

SCHOOLS and colleges in mid Cheshire are the cream of the crop across county and country, according to GCSE and post-16 performance tables.

Annual achievement and attainment tables put the Grange School in Hartford as top of the class in Cheshire for both GCSEs and A levels and it features among the best schools in the country.

An impressive 99 per cent of its pupils achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C in 2004, placing it well within the top 195 schools in the country, and the average point score per student taking A and AS levels was 452.2, which puts the school within the national top 30.

Helsby High School was the top comprehensive school in the Vale Royal area, with 82 per cent of its pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades in their GCSEs.

But one of the area's greatest achievements is from Woodford Lodge High School in Winsford, which is ranked as the eighth most improved school in England.

Its GCSE results have improved each year from 2001 and 36 per cent more pupils are now gaining the benchmark five or more grades A* to C.

And a steady increase over the years is also marked by Middlewich High School, with 63 per cent of pupils achieving A* to C grades in 2004.

Cheshire's education chiefs are delighted that the county has retained its top 20 place among the country's education authorities.

A record 50 per cent of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C, which is a 1.1 per cent increase on last year and six per cent higher than the national average.

In A levels, Cheshire pupils scored an average of 270.80 points per student - topping the national average by 1.6 points.

Education executive David Rowlands said: "I am delighted that Cheshire has improved on results which were already among the country's best."

To see how your child's mid Cheshire school did, see Wednesday's Guardian.

gbebbington@guardiangrp.co.uk