CLASSROOM standards in Kent's secondary schools have shown further improvements and continue to outstrip the national rate of progress, according to the latest set of official league tables.

Education chiefs have hailed the results as the best that have been achieved by the county's secondary schools in more than a decade.

The Government's favoured measure of performance now counts the percentage of pupils whose five good GCSE passes include at least a 'C' grade in English and maths.

In Kent, the number achieving that level in 2007 rose to 48.5 per cent compared with 46.8 per cent in 2006 and above the national average of 46.7 per cent.

Despite that increase, 8,100 pupils in Kent failed to secure five good passes including maths and English at grades A* to C compared to the 7,629 that did.

There was a marked improvement in the number of pupils passing five or more GCSEs at grades to A* to C in any subject, with the figure across the county rising to nearly 65 per cent. That represents a three per cent rise on 2006, again above the national rate of improvement.

Kent's average point score - which takes into account the number of pupils entered for exams and other factors - rose to nearly 393 from the 377 it recorded last year and is signficantly higher than the national average of 378. On that measure, Kent in the top quarter of all education authorities.

Cllr Chris Wells (Con), KCC cabinet member for Children, Families and Educational Skills, said: "I warmly welcome this steady and continual rise in GCSE achievement.

"For the past 12 years there has been year-on-year improvement and Kent has exceeded the national average for the 10th year running. These results are testament to the hard work of teachers across the county.

"As proud as we are of these results, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to do all we can to improve further – both academically and vocationally – to give Kent's young people the best possible start in life."

There was also good news for Kent schools in relation to the value-added measure, which records the rate of progress students make between taking tests at 11 and taking their GCSEs and takes into account factors about the ability of pupils when they enter secondary education.

This showed Kent had an average score of 1,007, two points above the score it achieved in 2006. The Government's indicator is set at an aggregate of 1,000.

As is usual, the county's 33 grammar schools dominated the top of the tables, with many scored 100 per cent pass rates in both key indicators.

While there has been more overall success for those pupils who took GCSEs, some schools have seen slower progress under the benchmark designed to improve performance in the core subjects of English and maths are taken into account.

Across Kent, there are about 30 schools who currently fall short of Gordon Brown's target that by 2012, at least 30 per cent of pupils should be achieving good five or more GCSEs that include the core subjects of English and maths.

Full details of the league tables are available at www.dcsf.gov.uk. Follow the links to performance tables.