A HIGH school is celebrating after being recognised for having the second most improved GCSE results in the country.

The news comes three years after Blackburn Central High School was almost forced to convert to academy status because of poor grades.

The Haslingden Road school was awarded a certificate by SSAT The Schools Network for being in the top two nationally making the greatest continuous improvement in the percentage of students achieving five our more A* to C grade GCSEs, including English and maths.

Deputy headteacher Majid Ditta said: “It has been a journey over the past three years from a school that was on the brink of becoming an academy to becoming the second most improved in the country.”

Blackburn Central High School was opened in September at its current site after ther merger of Blakewater College, Beardwood Humanities College and Crosshill School.

It received £24million under the Building Schools for the Future Scheme to create the state-of-the-art centre, which it shares with Crosshill.

Mr Ditta said: “To get this award in the year when we were planning to move to a brand new school location made it all the more special.”