THE Halifax schools on a Government improvement hitlist have shown outstanding improvements.
There are four schools - out of more than 600 nationally - that have been told to reach a target of 30 per cent of pupils getting five A*-Cs at GCSE by 2011.
All four - Halifax High, St Catherine's, Park Lane and the Ridings - showed big improvements.
- Follow the links below to see the GCSE results for each school.
And look out for our special 12-page GCSE pull out in Saturday's Courier for pictures, stories and a full results listing.
Halifax High head Jeremy Waxman congratulated pupils on the school's best ever GCSE results. 59 per cent gained five or more A*-C grades, with 42 per cent including English and maths in their five.
Mr Waxman said: "They have blown the Government's benchmark of 30 per cent out of the water. The school has achieved that twice before but the results this year are simply outstanding. This success has come about because of the pupils' own ambition and hard work and the tremendous commitment of teaching and support staff."
Stuart Todd, head at the Ridings, said: "The results this year are outstanding and way different to what the Ridings has produced before."
There was a 64 per cent pass rate overall - up from 25 per cent last year, and more than double the school's target of 26 per cent, and 13 per cent passed including maths and English.
Mr Todd added: "The pupils have done extremely well bearing in mind the school has been under notice to close and in special measures, and all the other pressures on staff and students.
"There is no student leaving who is not going on to further education or employment."
He put the school's success down to changes in the curriculum and a rise in the quality of teaching.
"This is the first cohort which has taken the new curriculum. We targeted particular subjects which were broader based to apply to more young people. Vocational courses such as hairdressing and construction improve self-esteem so those youngsters apply themselves more positively in their other lessons as well."
Park Lane High had a 49 per cent pass rate, with 24 per cent getting five A*-Cs including English and maths. Another 60 per cent passed Level 2 literacy and numeracy - equivalent to a B at GCSE.
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