Varying fortunes of Bolton schools

Staff at Smithills School are celebrating being the only Bolton school included in a table of schools which have made big improvements between 1999 and 2002 at GCSE level.

In 1999, 30 per cent of the comprehensive school's students achieved at least five A* to C grades or equivalent.

In 2001 45 per cent of students were achiveing those results.

And last year 45 per cent of students again achieved the results.

Headteacher John Lawson said:"This is good news. I am delighted."

Mr Lawson credits the increasing good results at the school to the hard work and dedications of both staff and pupils.

Over the past few years the school has also improved its curriculum and has attempted to make it more relevant to pupils.

Staff have also introduced a strong mentoring system and they work hard building up pupils self belief and confidence. Special care is taken making sure pupils take the right course for them.

Staff at the Deane School in Bolton, ranked one of the worst in the country for truancy levels, said today they were implementing a range of schemes to tackle the problem.

The school is the 140th worst in the country for unauthorised absence. According to the latest secondary school league tables, it has a truancy rate of 3.7 per cent.

But school staff are spending a lot of their time tackling the issue. A small team is dedicated to dealing with the problem and further discussions are taking place with with the education welfare service.

The school also rewards pupils with good attendance.

Headteacher Tony Hill said: said unauthorised absence was a major issue at the school.

"There is a clear correlation between attendance and achievement. If you have high attendance you get high achievement," he said.

"We haven't cracked it yet."

The school has a full time education welfare officer, a home school liaison officer and a full- time attendance officer. Children whose attendance drops below 90 per cent are monitored.

Pupils with good attendance levels are rewarded with vouchers and Mr Hill is considering increasing the number of prizes.

The high truancy rate has not prevented some students achieving excellent results.

Mr Hill said: "Last year we had some really high-achieving students. One student, for example, got eight A* at GCSE."

Withins School in Breightmet is ranked among the bottom 150 schools nationally for GCSE results. Only 18 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSE passes at A-C level.

Deputy headteacher Pete Richardson said: "We did have a weaker year group. We know the reasons, but the league tables do not show them.

"We do work very hard with the kids and there a lots of things in place to improve results."