PUPILS across Hampshire have once again outperformed Southampton’s students, according to GCSE league tables published today.

Although Southampton saw an improvement, the city’s overall results continue to fall below the county’s results and the national average. Today’s results show that thousands of pupils across the region continue to leave school without basic English and maths skills.

Just over four in ten pupils (42.3 per cent) across Southampton’s state secondary schools gained at least five C GCSE grades, including maths and English.

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Meanwhile, in Hampshire just over half (53.8 per cent) of all pupils achieved the same benchmark, bettering the national average of 47.6 per cent.

Among the success stories were Southampton’s Upper Shirley High School and St George’s Catholic School for Boys, ranked among the 200 most improved state schools in the country. They have seen some of the country’s biggest improvements in the percentage of pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades, including maths and English, during the last three years.

At Upper Shirley, head teacher Cassie Ellins who led the school out of special measures two years ago, has seen 51 per cent of pupils gain the benchmark, up from just 29 per cent in 2005.

St George’s head teacher Graham Wilson saw 50 per cent of boys achieve five or more top grades including maths and English, up from 33 per cent in 2005.

For the third consecutive Redbridge Community School in Southampton, made it into the top 100 schools nationally for the best rate of pupil progress between the ages of 11 and 16. .

However, Hamble Community College was among the bottom 100 schools nationally for the lack of progress pupils make.

And Woodlands Community College in Southampton found itself among the country’s worst 200 schools for the percentage of pupils (17 per cent) gaining at least five top GCSEs, including the two core subjects.

The school could face closure or being turned into an academy if its results do not improve by 2011 so that at least 30 per cent of pupils achieve the benchmark.

Three Southampton schools and a Hampshire school also featured among the country’s 200 worst schools for truancy, ranked by the percentage of pupils who are persistently absent.

Woodlands Community College, Cantell Maths and Computing College, Chamberlayne College for the Arts, in Southampton, and Gosport’s Bridgemary Community Sports College, all had a high number of “persistently absent” pupils.

In Southampton the best performing state schools for the percentage of pupils gaining five or more top grades including English and maths was St Anne’s with 74 per cent of pupils reaching the standard In Hampshire one of the top performers was Thornden School which saw 88 per cent of pupils achieve the benchmark.

At A level, Hampshire was ranked the ninth top local authority nationally and Southampton was ranked 128th, based on average A-level point scores per candidate.

St Swithun’s, Winchester College and Peter Symonds College all made it into the top 200 schools and colleges at A level, based on average point scores.

Southampton’s education boss Councillor Peter Baillie said: “I am pleased that we are making a steady improvement. However, the achievement is still not as good as it should be.”

Hampshire’s education councillor, David Kirk said: “We are not complacent about these results and will continue to work with schools to help them raise standards and improve results.”

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