Staff and students around Bradford were celebrating record results today as scores of schools recorded their best ever GCSE grades.

Education bosses have praised the performance of pupils as the highest level of students achieving at least five A* to C passes have been recorded across the district.

However this year's district-wide results need to improve by seven per cent from last year to meet a target set for Bradford schools by the Government.

Last year 39 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades but the Department for Education and Skills (Dfes) has set a target of 46 per cent for this year's results.

Bosses at Education Bradford, the private company which runs the district's education services, said it was too early to say if these results have met the Dfes targets.

But they say early indications are that schools around Bradford have achieved their best-ever results.

Carlton Bolling College, in Undercliffe, which came out of special measures less than a year ago, has achieved its highest ever percentage of students achieving five or more A* to C grades, increasing from 19 per cent last year to 33 per cent this year.

Head teacher Nigel Jepson said: "This is a remarkable achievement on the part of our Year 11 students and the staff at Carlton Bolling College."

Students at Challenge College in Frizinghall were also celebrating achieving the school's best-ever results as 45 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades compared with 39 per cent last year.

And Grange Technology College in Haycliffe Lane, Bradford, saw its best results with more than half its pupils achieving five or more higher passes. Head teacher John Player said the school's success was down to developing individual action plans for every pupil.

Tong School has followed the success of its sixth form students, who achieved a 100 per cent pass rate at A-level, with its best ever GCSE results.

The percentage of pupils who achieved at least five *A to C grades has improved by almost 20 per cent from 29 per cent last year to 48 per cent.

The school's head teacher Lyn O'Reilly said: "It is down to the selection of the curriculum and ensuring that students are matched to the right courses. We have made the most of the vocational courses that are available as well as the academic to ensure maximum success for every student."

Bingley Grammar School students also helped the school to record their best GCSE results. The school saw 74 per cent of pupils achieve at least five A* to C grades compared with 64 per cent last year

David Platt, Education Bradford's director of secondary school improvement, said: "It is far too early to give an accurate overall picture of this year's GCSE results in Bradford schools as these are provisional figures.

"However on the information we have, early indications show that many schools across the Bradford district are producing their best-ever GCSE results this year.

"We want to warmly congratulate the pupils and teachers for their hard work in achieving these results."

Bradford Council's executive member for education, Councillor Dale Smith said: "These initial figures are promising with some of the districts' schools gaining record results."