SEVENTY per cent of students at Burnley's Walshaw High School performed better in their GCSE exams than was predicted five years ago in standard tests.

Head teacher Mrs Lila Towers told parents at the presentation evening: "Our figures show that 90 out of 129 did better than we predicted, 26 equalled the predictions and only 13 did worse.

"That's a very significant amount of value added, and means that all the careful monitoring of progress and all the different strategies we employed to make sure of no under-achievement have paid off and we are absolutely delighted at so many individual successes right across the ability range."

The school exceeded its target of five or more GCSE grades A* to C agreed by Walshaw and the local education authority by one per cent, which was also a one per cent rise on last year's results. The percentage of GCSE passes in the A* to C range was 42.2 per cent, two per cent up on last year.

Mrs Towers compared Walshaw's pupils' performance with schools which have a similar intake and found in English, mathematics and science they performed very high compared with others.

For GCSE results A* grades were "very high", A grades were "well above average", B grades were "above average" and C grades were "broadly average".

But academic results aside, Mrs Towers also said: "We are proud of many other achievements at Walshaw. We've had some marvellous sporting performances with all teams and individuals making their mark."

She praised achievements in netball, hockey, cricket, rounders, basketball, cross country, athletics and swimming.

In addition the school raised £1,864 for Help the Aged through a sponsored line dance at harvest and has been re-affirmed as an Investor In People.

Mrs Towers added: "Walshaw is a successful and flourishing school, ready to go from strength to strength in the new millennium."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.