STAFF, students and education chiefs in Worcestershire are celebrating after the county smashed through the national average in this year's school league tables.

The county saw 47.7 per cent of pupils achieve five or more A*-C grades, including English and maths, in last year's GCSE exams. The national average was 46.7 per cent.

The previous year Worcestershire was lagging behind the national average of 45.3 per cent, with just 43 per cent of pupils gaining five or more A*-C grades, including English and maths.

Councillor Liz Eyre, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, said: "This is more than a good news story. I'm very pleased, particularly in the context of all the changes in education over the past year."

However, the county is still falling just behind the national average in the percentage of pupils gaining five or more A*-C grades in any subjects. Worcestershire produced an average of 61.5 per cent; the national average was 62 per cent.

The latest attainment and achievement tables for GCSEs and A-levels were published today, and reveal a huge improvement at many of Worcestershire's schools.

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College came out on top of the tables in Worcester, while the city's Elgar Technology College also saw its exam results soar.

But many headteachers said the results tables were not the fairest way to compare schools, and people should look at the value-added scores for a true reflection.

Nunnery Wood High School scooped the highest value added figure in Worcester, and the second highest in the county, with 1030.5.

Headteacher, Alun Williams, said: "Our raw exam results are our best ever, but we are particularly proud of our value-added figures. Our score of more than 1030.5 means that, on average, all of our students achieved a grade higher than expected in at least five of their GCSE subjects.

"This figure represents exceptional progress being made by all students at Nunnery Wood over their five years here - from the least able to our most gifted."

  • Click here to see the 2007 GCSE and A-level school performance tables for Worcestershire.