BRADFORD’S schools saw one of the biggest improvements in pupil progress in the latest education tables published today.

The GCSE league tables showed that the district experienced the fourth highest level of improvement when it came to Progress 8.

This is one of the new measures the government uses to record school performance, and shows how much progress 16-year-old pupils have made across eight subjects since starting secondary school.

In this table Bradford has jumped from 118th out of 151 local authorities in 2016 to joint 54th in last year’s results.

However, it was not all good news for the district - two Bradford schools were revealed to be below the government’s “floor” level.

Both Queensbury School and Hanson School in Swain House were listed among the 365 state-funded mainstream secondary schools in England that did not meet expected performance standards.

And a council education boss says they have “more to do” to make sure children in Bradford receive a good education.

Bradford’s positive Progress 8 score of 0.02 means that young people’s results improved over the course of secondary school. It also means Bradford pupils made more progress in school than the national average.

Councillor Imran Khan, the council’s executive member for education, employment and skills, said: “Our district’s schools have achieved one of the biggest improvements in the progress being made by secondary school pupils in the country, compared with our results last year.

“To be ranked fourth best in the country for the improvement in progress being made is a clear sign that we are heading in the right direction.

“The Progress 8 measure is the fairest way to judge the impact our secondary schools are having on pupils - from when they join in Year 7 to their GCSEs.

“And these results show we are among the most improved areas in the country.

“However what matters most is not league table rankings but the life chances of our young people. We know we have more to do to ensure that a child’s chances of success in education is as good in Bradford as it is anywhere else in the country. We are determined for all our young people to receive a good education and will do everything we can to make this a reality.”

The Department for Education have also published figures for the performance of post-16 students. These show the average point score for Bradford students has increased compared with 2016.

The district is closing the gap with the national average. The average grade achieved by a Bradford student is C-, compared with a national average of C+.

Judith Kirk, the council’s deputy director for education employment and skills, said: “The improving results we are seeing across the board in Bradford schools are down to the hard work and commitment of our young people and the dedicated staff in schools.

“We have outstanding teachers and leaders contributing to a renewed confidence and a self belief in Bradford.”

“We have ambitious plans to build on this progress through our work as an Opportunity Area which will see projects to support and improve teaching and leadership in schools, literacy levels for children in primary school and to improve the skills, confidence and employability of our young people. I congratulate schools and pupils for these encouraging results and look forward to us working together to continue improving.”

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