GCSE TABLES 2004: Dr Patrick Hazlewood, head of St John's School and Community College in Marlborough, said he was delighted that his students had achieved almost exactly the same success in GCSEs in 2004 as in the previous year.

He said: "We are very pleased with the results. They are a tribute to the hard work the students put in and also the hard work of the teaching staff.

"If we can achieve the same level again this year we will be delighted."

Richard Butler, headteacher at Pewsey Vale School, said there would be greater improvements in GCSE performances in future when changes at the school are fully implemented.

He said: "Our Year 11 students last year achieved well, the overall achievements of the school when compared to other schools being positive.

"However, league tables can be misleading and do not tell the whole story. In value added terms, Pewsey Vale has a strong record of achievement over time for students

of all abilities and backgrounds.

"I believe that our developing curriculum and facilities will see students achieve even better as time goes on."

At Hardenhuish School in Chippenham the number of pupils gaining five GCSEs at level A to C fell from 63 per cent last year to 56 per cent this year but headteacher Colin Smith said the value added score showed pupils had achieved well individually.

"The raw figures we shall have to live with, but in terms of how individual students have fared, pupils did well," he said.

"I think parents and the wider community have a great respect for the work done at the school."

Malmesbury School has continued to build on its success for the last four years reaching a level of 73 per cent of pupils gaining at least five GCSEs in 2004.

"This has taken a lot of hard work by students and teachers," he said.

"A considerable amount of careful planning is needed. We have lots of revision and preparation sessions.

"We also have a fairly sophisticated system for setting target grades and measuring progress, so we can identify when someone isn't achieving as they should and working with them to overcome any problems."

Anne Burrell, headteacher of the John Bentley School in Calne, was critical of the number of exam board marking errors the school encountered in 2004 and she said significant changes were made after an appeal.

The school is shown as having 47 per cent achieving five GCSEs at grades A to C.

But Mrs Burrell said: "Our actual results and value-added are much higher than reported here as we had major exam board re-marks following appeals."