AN Alcester high school has been rated as the most improved in the country over the past four years, according to new GCSE tables published by the BBC.

St Benedict's Catholic High School was given the rating according to new calculations which show how many pupils were awarded five grades A* to C including English and maths.

Under the old system, pupils with five A* to C grades did not have to have these two subjects to feature in the statistics.

According to the figures, the Kinwarton Road school has seen a 30 per cent rise between 2001 and 2004, with 76 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to Cs including English and maths in 2004.

The tables have caused controversy over the suggestion that some schools offering strong vocational provision may be adversely represented by the new calculations.

St Benedict's headteacher Tim Sara said vocational education was an essential component of school life and should not be discounted.

He said: "We obviously appreciate anything that shows the progress the school has been making, and we have always believed core subjects are very important.

"But we haven't deliberately focussed on English and maths. We favour offering personalised learning for our pupils as much as possible, and vocational education is very important."

Mr Sara said 40 per cent of Year 10 and 11 pupils spent one day a week out of school on vocational courses and on that day missed an English, maths and science lesson.

He added: "So we are achieving these good figures despite having a different priority which focuses on vocational education and the academic."