ONLY one school in Burnley and Pendle scraped into the top 20 of Lancashire schools in the league tables for GCSE exam results.

The girls-only school of St Hilda's, Burnley, outshone all its local rivals. With 72 per cent of pupils getting A - C grades in five or more subjects the school reached number 17 in the list of more than 120 Lancashire schools.

Habergham High School, Burnley, with 59 per cent A - C grades was 34th in the list, but was the best school in the area (95 per cent) for pupils gaining A - G grades.

Teachers say the A - G marks give a better reflection of non-selective schools where children have a wide range of ability.

In Pendle, Fisher More had the highest rating, coming half way down the Lancashire list. 48 per cent of pupils gained A - C grades and 93 per cent A- G grades.

Most schools in Burnley and Pendle recorded A - C passes of between the mid 30s and low 40 per cents. Most had more than 85 per cent A- G passes, but West Craven, with 36 per cent A - Cs managed to get 92 per cent of pupils with A - G passes.

The lowest marks were at Towneley, with 21 per cent A - C and 78 per cent A- G grades.

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