local upper schools are improving, according to government figures released this week.

Keighley's three upper schools - Greenhead Grammar, Oakbank and Holy Family - have significantly improved their GCSE results.

This year Greenhead had 24 per cent of students gaining five or more GCSEs at A* to C grades - an eight per cent increase on the school's 1995 results. (A* is the highest grade awarded.)

Oakbank is up three per cent on its GCSE A* to C grades.

Holy Family shows a two per cent increase and is ranked as one of the top ten Bradford schools for its GCSE results - 40 per cent of pupils passed five or more at grades A* to C.

Holy Family head Conor Davis says: "We are very pleased and have worked hard on raising attainment levels. These results have been achieved through various programmes we have set up here, such as our mentoring service, where two or three children work alongside members of staff, home visits by staff, social services and Catholic care visits, where disaffected youngsters are helped along, and the YELLIS testing system in which students are banded according to their abilities. We now look forward to significantly improving our results in future by targeting children at a younger age."

When it comes to A-levels, Oakbank leads the way, ranking seventh in the Bradford district with an average points score of 17.1 by pupils entered for two or more exams. The average points score achieved by pupils entered for two or more A-levels is 13.6. The points system is the official one used for university entry, where an A-grade is ten points, a B-grade eight points and so on down to two points for an E.

Oakbank head John Roberts says: "I am pleased that information about trends in progress has been put in. We have already set our targets for the next two years, in which we aim to achieve a 40 per cent pass rate for students attaining A* to C grades at GCSE. We are also pleased that our GNVQ and A-level results are again extremely high in comparison with other Bradford schools."

However, Bradford is ranked as the 136th-best education authority in the country, making it one of the 15 lowest-achieving.

Miles Mizon, head at Greenhead, says: "What is missing is the value added measures because they show that Greenhead is doing just as well as other similar schools in the country."

Cllr Jim Flood, chairman of the authority's education committee, says: "The local education authority is working closely with schools to set targets for the next few years through the Education Dev-elopment Plan and current proposals for the schools' reorganisation. We are confident that in the long run the reorganisation of our schools will give a further boost to our results across the board."

South Craven School at Cross Hills has been rated as above-average for the improvement in achievement made by pupils between the ages of 14 and 16, compared with similar schools.

The tables show 50 per cent of South Craven pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C or their General National Vocat-ional Qualification equivalent.

South Craven head John Vickers says: "I am very pleased that there is a recognition that value is being added in schools. The results reflect sustained improvement, and show that it is improvement year on year. Our agenda is that we know this is a good school, but we are determined not to be complacent. So we are targeting making more improvements, and that has been acknowledged."

South Craven has a 96 per cent pass rate at GCSE level and this year saw an improvement in the number of students gaining A* and A grades. Its A-level results also showed a three per cent increase in the number of pupils attaining a grade A.

These scores are based on this year's exam results and have been compiled from data supplied by the Department for Education. Schools are ranked according to their GCSE percentage scores.

Overall, the tables produced show performances over four years and compare the county's results with national averages. They shows that schools' results vary from year to year and that standards are rising nationally.

The performance tables are part of the target-setting approach to education, started by the Conservatives.

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