Secondary school league tables: Results joy for Telford schools

It accounts for 53.7 per cent of pupils in Telford & Wrekin who achieved the grades, which include maths and English. The results were up two per cent on last year, when the figure stood at 51.7 per cent.

Nationally the borough was in the bottom half of the league table of local authorities and was about three per cent behind neighbouring Shropshire Council, but recorded better results than Wolverhampton which saw 51.6 per cent of its pupils achieve 5 A*-C grades.

The best ranked schools in the borough were Adams' Grammar School, in Newport, and Newport Girls' High School, where 100 per cent of the students taking exams at both schools got five GCSEs at C or above including English and maths.

Adams' Grammar School headmaster Gary Hickey said he was "delighted" that the school had topped the table this year as it reflected the hard work of pupils and staff.

He said: "I'm a firm believer though that league tables are only one measure of success, and we must never forget that there are many other factors that indicate the success of a school. We are always very proud of all of our pupils' varied successes, including this week celebrating 15 Oxbridge offers, which is a record for the school."

One headteacher has criticised the way school league tables are now judged, saying they are not a "true reflection" of results.

Sir Kevin Satchwell said he is proud of his pupils and staff after Thomas Telford School was named the top school in Telford & Wrekin.

But after the way league tables were ranked changed last February he has said it is not a fair comparison to previous years. The tables no longer take into account exam retakes.

Sir Kevin said: "I am delighted with our results because out pupils and staff work very very hard to get the best results. But it is not a true reflection on how well schools actually do every year.

"For example we got 96 per cent last year and 100 per cent the year before that.

"This year we have got 89 per cent, but that does not include retakes, so it is an unfair comparison. It is a shame because it is not a true reflection of how hard pupils and teachers work, and I feel for every school.

"The Government has not thought this through. The pupils put down their best result on their CV but the school is not allowed to use that in its league tables.

"It is known that if a student sits an exam and gets a C grade they could retake it and get a B – it's all about building their confidence. I don't believe people always understand the pressure these young children are put under.

Thomas Telford School had an 89 per cent success rate, but then there was a big drop down to the fourth-ranked best school, Wrekin College, in Wellington, where 68 per cent of students got five or more A* to C grades including the two core subjects. Burton Borough School, in Newport, just made it into the top five with a score of 63 per cent.

The lowest ranked school was Lakeside Academy where just over a quarter – 27 per cent – of 109 students achieved five GCSEs at C or above including English and maths.

The figures represent a step in the right direction for the borough. Last year's figures had represented a drop of more than six per cent on the 2012/13 academic year, which council chiefs at the time blamed on a change in the method of measuring results.