NEW league tables show that local pupils are still above the national average at the half-way point in their secondary school career.

Their achievements have put Bury in the top 20 per cent of local education authorities for English and maths, and the top third for science, according to Key Stage 3 tables for 2004.

The tables show how 14-year-olds performed in Standard Attainment Tests (SATs), measuring the percentage of pupils who achieve level five or above, the standard level for that age group, in the three core subjects.

Bury's average figure was 76 per cent of pupils reaching the required standard in English (five per cent above the national average), 76 per cent in maths (three points better than the national rate), and 68 per cent in science (two per cent above the national average).

The top-ranked school in the borough was Bury CE High School, where pupils scored 87 per cent in English, 90 per cent in maths, and 86 per cent in science.

The figures also include value- added scores, which purport to show how much the child has developed since entering secondary school at 11 years (or Key Stage 2). The highest value- added score was notched up by Tottington High.

Mr Phil Grady, head teacher at Bury CE High, said: "It is always nice to come top of the table, but school league tables in general need handling with care: they can be over-simplistic and mislead. This is just a measure of progress at the halfway stage, and I'm not sure how much it tells us. What matters is in two years' time."

Councillor Maggie Gibb, executive member for lifelong learning, said: "Yet again, what we see in Bury is a successful partnership between the council and everyone in local secondary schools dedicated to giving our children the best possible start to their lives.

"Their test results are good in themselves and point to further success in less than two years' time when these students take their examinations at the end of Key Stage Four."

An error by the Department for Education and Skills meant that English scores for Elton and Broad Oak schools do not feature in the tables. The schools' writing scripts were lost by the external marking agency and therefore the children were never given an overall level for English, hence there are no overall results for these schools either. Also, Radcliffe Riverside is a new school and therefore there are no figures available.