NEW league tables for pupils half-way through their secondary school careers spell success for Bury.

Test results for English are among the best in the country, with a strong showing for youngsters in maths and science.

Published for the first time yesterday, the tables show how 14-year-olds performed in Standard Attainment Task tests (SATs) .

Results show that 76 per cent of pupils are achieving the standard level in English, seven per cent above the national average.

This puts Bury 11th out of 151 authorities for the subject, with the borough in sixth place for writing.

Figures measure the percentages of pupils who achieve level five or above, the standard level for that age group, in the three core subjects.

Bury finished 21st in maths, with children five per cent above the national average, and 33rd for science.

Finishing top of the pile was Bury CE High, where 89 per cent of pupils achieved the expected level in English. In maths the figure was 92 per cent, while in science it was 90, to give a combined figure of 271.

Head teacher Phil Grady (pictured, with pupils Jonathan Squibbs and Matthew Adams) was pleased by his pupils' achievements, but voiced scepticism about the value of publishing league tables for the age group.

He said: "It's as much use as printing the Premier League places based on half-time results.

"While this is very useful information for the school to see how pupils are progressing, I am very doubtful about how useful it is for the public.

"It is good that this particular group of pupils are on track, but the essential thing is how they do in their GCSEs."

Derby High topped the "value added" table of results, which measures improvements in pupils' results between the ages of 11 and 14.

Head teacher Alyson Byrne welcomed inclusion of the figures, which are considered to reflect a school's wider circumstances.

Mrs Byrne said: "League tables haven't always been a reliable indicator, but I do feel that the value added information is a step forward, because it shows how much difference schools make.

"I'm really delighted that the pupils at Derby High make excellent progress at Key Stage 3 and this clearly reflects the hard work of our teaching staff."

Councillor Steve Perkins, Bury Council's executive member for lifelong learning, said: "What these figures mean is that there are more children in Bury getting a good standard of education and reaching higher levels of achievement than in many other places and that we are among the standard setters in some subjects.

"It is also demonstrates the high-level of preparedness among children as they embark on their GCSE courses."

Results show Coney Green as lowest placed of the borough's 14 secondary schools, with Radcliffe High in 13th place.

The schools are due to merge into a single high school next year, and are currently federated under executive head teacher Mrs Diana Morton. Mrs Morton was unavailable for comment.