HEADTEACHERS have praised the hard work and achievements of pupils following the latest publication of Government figures.

National school performance tables showed that at GCSE 76 per cent of pupils achieved five A*-C results, including English and maths at Ryedale School, 64 per cent at Norton College, 62 per cent at Malton School and 55 per cent at Lady Lumley's School in Pickering, compared to a national average of 57 per cent.

Mark McCandless, headteacher at Ryedale School, said: "I am very proud of our students’ performance in the 2015 GCSE exams. Our standing in the league tables as one of the highest performing schools in North Yorkshire recognises their hard work and significant achievements. However, I believe that attainment figures are not the best measure of a school – they are one indicator - but there are other measures that should also be taken into account when judging a school’s performance.

"At Ryedale School we focus on the individual progress of every student, in all subject areas, and try to instil a passion for learning in all of our students.

"I am pleased that progress will become more prominent as a performance indicator and welcome the introduction of the Government’s new Progress 8 measure from September 2016."

Kavina Rothenburg, senior deputy head at Norton College, said that while results at the school were record-breaking, the tables only captured some of the achievements.

"They show that 64 per cent of students achieved A*- C in English and maths at their first attempt, but just as some of us sit our driving test a second time and pass, we think that some children should be given more than one chance to sit these important examinations. This best entry is not reported in these tables," she said.

“All Norton College staff worked incredibly hard with the children, both inside and outside of lessons, which led to many students improving on their second attempt.”

Phil Loftus, Norton College headteacher, added: “These GCSE and Sixth Form record breaking results at Norton are a significant achievement for both students and staff. Due to the new focus on the progress for all students, we believe an Ofsted inspector would call them 'Outstanding'."

“This hard work and self-belief has resulted in a set of results which set a new level of expectations at Norton and one we are already focussed on beating in 2016.”

Malton School headteacher Rob Williams said for the second year in a row parents across the country have been issued with a set of “official” school results by the Department for Education which did not tell them what the children in each school actually left with at the end of the year.

"At Malton School, we believe it is right to give each student a second chance because we are focused on helping all of our young people to leave us with the very best outcomes possible. We have done this in the knowledge that it would make our school look worse in the “official” league tables. But it was right to put our students first," he said.

“I am delighted for our students that they achieved such fantastic outcomes and that the school has made such strong progress. A respected national body, the Fischer Family Trust, who have access to the complete data set from the Government and who produce national comparisons to help senior leaders and Governing Bodies have ranked our GCSE performance in 2015 among the top five per cent of all schools in the country.”