A HEAD teacher criticised the government's education agencies at her school's annual speech night.

Heather Jamison, head of Pleckgate High School, said 40 per cent of pupils had achieved five GCSEs at grades A to C -- the highest percentage the school has ever achieved -- despite enormous pressure from outside agencies.

She said: "Too often the external bodies setting quality standards for us quite simply fail to meet any reasonable standard of service themselves."

At the speech night yesterday, she said the Quality Curriculum and Assessment Board and other agencies had created extra work for teachers by delivering results late and incomplete.

"Last year I noted that it seemed to be fashionable to knock our profession. I'm sorry to say that nothing has changed on that front, and it's a continuing marvel to me that more teachers don't pack up their bags and go.

"I fear that the teacher shortage will continue to worsen."

She said the change from Lancashire County Council control to Blackburn with Darwen council had helped the school.

"I'm not going to pretend that there haven't been administrative difficulties but I can say with all honesty that we are better informed and better involved than we have ever been in terms of the planning of the education of our children," she said.

The school's successes included a new reading recovery programme for Year 7 pupils who had difficulty reading and a pupil mentor scheme, for staff to help pupils with GCSEs.

The school raised £6,000 for charities including Cystic Fibrosis, the poppy appeal, Children in Need, the Salvation Army, Romanian orphanages, the Blue Peter Appeal and shelters for the homeless.

She said the cheque for £2,575 for Macmillan Cancer Research was the largest donation from any school in the area.

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