Hreod Parkway head teacher Andrew Fleet 75562-178SWINDON has dropped 20 places in the secondary school league tables from 84th to 104th place out of the country's 150 local education authorities.

This calculation is based on the number of pupils achieving top grades at GCSE.

Other figures in the tables reveal that all but three of Swindon's schools have seen a drop in the percentage students achieving grades A-C GCSE results.

The greatest decline has occurred at Dorcan Technology College where there has been an 11 per cent drop in pupils achieving grades A to C while the biggest rise was at Highworth Warneford where the percentage achieving the top grades rose by nine to 72 per cent .

Phil Baker of the Swindon branch of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers blames the performance of Swindon's schools on staff recruitment problems.

He said: "A lot of staff and students have put a lot of work into improving GCSE results.

"However it's likely that some of the fall in the overall rank represents the problem that have lot of schools have had with recruiting staff.

"A number of schools have had a significant number of supply teachers over the past year and this causes a lack of continuity in the teaching of the children.

"It's very important that Swindon in the future manages not only to recruit good quality teachers but to retain them."

But Swindon Council's director of education, Hilary Pitts, said the results is looking at the positive side of the result.

She said: "We would like to congratulate all the students in our schools in Swindon on these results.

"We know that behind every one of these examination grades lies a lot of hard work from students, the school staff and support from parents.

"We are particularly pleased to see that the number of pupils achieving at least one or more A* to G grades at GCSE has continued to increase this year and our LEA average is higher than the national average.

"This is particularly significant because this measure really represents better life chances for our students.

"The LEA is confident that with the strategies schools have already put in place, and with the targeted support of the LEA, there will continue to be an improvement at all levels in the summer of 2005."

Diana Milne