MORE than 1,000 pupils only managed to reach the national standard in their exams last summer after propping up their GCSE results with vocational qualifications.

The extent to which some schools are relying on so-called 'GCSE equivalents' rather than pure GCSEs is exposed for the first time in today's secondary school league tables.

In Stoke-on-Trent, 1,263 teenagers gained at least five A* to C passes, including both English and maths, in 2011. But just 908 of the students achieved this level with GCSEs alone.

The rest relied on a combination of other qualifications, including BTECs which are worth the equivalent of four GCSE grades, to inflate their overall scores.

The practice was much less prevalent in other parts of the region. Across Staffordshire, 5.2 per cent of pupils – 498 teenagers – relied on vocational courses to boost their grades.

And in Cheshire East schools, only 171 pupils needed to mix GCSEs and vocational courses to hit the magic five good passes in their exams.

The average Potteries youngster was entered for 12.4 qualifications last year, yet only 5.8 of these were actual GCSEs. In Staffordshire, a typical student took eight GCSEs.

Overall, Staffordshire has come 101st out of 151 education authorities for its GCSE results today. Cheshire East is in 18th place and Stoke-on-Trent has come 143rd.

But there is still plenty to celebrate, with several schools gaining national recognition for their success.

St Joseph's College, in Trent Vale, features in the top 200 state schools for the proportion of its pupils who gained A* to C passes in English, maths and at least three other subjects.

Meanwhile, Painsley Catholic College, in Cheadle, is one of the best schools in England for 'value-added' education. This looks at the progress individual pupils make between the ages of 11 and 16.

When it comes to schools that have improved year-on-year at GCSE, Wolstanton High has also been singled out for praise today. Its results have gone up by 20 per cent over the last four years.

One of Staffordshire's most rapid improvers is Leek High, where 16 per cent more students gained five good passes, including English and maths, compared to 2010. Headteacher John Spencer said: "We are big on student support and TLC for the kids. We don't let them slip through the net."

Nathan Bloor gained 13 qualifications at the school last summer, including two A* grades. The 16-year-old, from Leek, said: "It really helped that I got on well with my teachers. They were there if you needed help at dinner times."

Sammy Jo Luton achieved 12 A*s and two As at Leek High. Her subjects included French, Spanish, and history, which meant she also gained the Government's new English Baccalaureate.

The EBacc is aimed at reviving the fortunes of traditional academic subjects. To achieve it, a student has to get a C or above at GCSE in maths, English, two sciences, a foreign language, and either history or geography.

Sammy Jo, aged 17, from Leek, said: "We were given the option of trying other subjects, such as photography and textiles. But I think it's important to do academic subjects as well. It gives you more of a balance."

The EBacc was only introduced after last year's GCSE pupils started their courses, so it has not yet had an impact on young people's subject choices.

But the league tables show subjects like French and German are still largely the preserve of the private sector. Just 36 per cent of pupils in Staffordshire were entered for a foreign language GCSE last year.

Yet at Newcastle-under-Lyme School, 95 per cent of pupils continued with languages. It features in the top 200 schools in England today for its EBacc results.

One of the highest performing state schools for the EBacc locally is Clayton Hall Business and Language College, in Clayton, where four out of 10 students reached this new elite level.

They included 16-year-old Louise Kenny, pictured below, who chalked up five A*s and five As in her overall GCSEs. Louise, from Westbury Park, said: "I really like studying history. Through school, I went on a trip to Belgium to the First World War trenches. Getting to see the trenches, rather than just read about them, really brought things home."

She has mixed feelings about pushing young people into studying traditional subjects at school. But she added: "It does look good for when you apply to university."

Tom Hall, from Packmoor, gained four A*s, six As and four Bs in his GCSEs at St Peter's CE High, in Penkhull. The school, which has since been replaced with an academy, also scored well on the EBacc.

Tom, aged 17, found studying geography fitted in well with his interest in outdoor pursuits. "I like walking, climbing and rowing. With geography, it's also not just about learning facts. You get to look at issues like population change and tourism," he said.

One of South Cheshire's highest performing schools is St Thomas More Catholic High, in Crewe.

Eight out of 10 students gained A* to C passes in maths, English and at least three other subjects. It marked a 13 per cent improvement on the previous year.

Headteacher Edward McHugh said: "The results were a record for the school. The youngsters deserved it."

St Thomas More also does particularly well in helping pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed. Two-thirds of all its pupils who were eligible for free school meals reached the national standard in their GCSEs last year. Across North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, barely a quarter of disadvantaged young people left school with five good grades, including English and maths.

STOKE-ON-TRENT results
	Number of pupils	Pupils achieving 5 or more A* to Cs, including English and maths	Position in LEA	Pupils achieving English Baccalaureate	Pupils achieving 5 or more A* to Cs, including English and maths (GCSE only)	Number of disadvantaged pupils	Disadvantaged pupils achieving 5 or more A* to Cs, including English and maths	Pupils making expected progress in English	Pupils making expected progress in maths	Average points score per student at A-level or equivalent	Average points score per exam at A-level or equivalent
Berry Hill High School *	102	0.36	14	0	0.21	34	0.21	0.46	0.39
Birches Head High School	138	0.46	9	0	0.09	30	0.27	0.7	0.37
City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College										629.7	201.5
Co-Operative Academy at Brownhills, Tunstall	142	0.38	13	0.01	0.29	42	0.26	0.49	0.48
Edensor Technology College, Longton *	197	0.47	8	0.02	0.27	52	0.48	0.63	0.51
Haywood Engineering College, Burslem	210	0.41	11	0.01	0.35	37	0.19	0.56	0.48
Holden Lane High School, Sneyd Green	204	0.51	7	0.04	0.41	32	0.25	0.82	0.49
James Brindley Science College, Chell *	134	0.34	15	0	0.28	48	0.13	0.65	0.35
Mitchell Business & Enterprise College, Bucknall *	134	0.51	6	0	0.09	32	0.44	0.78	0.57
Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, Blurton	147	0.39	12	0	0.2	33	0.24	0.42	0.51
St Joseph's College, Trent Vale	126	0.9	1	0.5	0.9	3	SUPP	0.91	0.83	977.3	221.8
St Margaret Ward Catholic School & Arts College, Tunstall	161	0.67	2	0.1	0.53	14	0.36	0.66	0.66	804.3	214
St Peter's CE High School, Penkhull *	161	0.64	3	0.25	0.58	15	0.2	0.71	0.74
St Thomas More Catholic College, Longton	189	0.59	4	0.09	0.49	19	0.37	0.81	0.65	738.3	208.3
Sandon Business & Enterprise College, Meir	200	0.46	10	0	0.29	45	0.31	0.64	0.51
Stoke-on-Trent College										543.5	207.1
Thistley Hough High School, Penkhull	177	0.33	16	0.01	0.22	45	0.33	0.6	0.5
Trentham High School	125	0.54	5	0	0.51	8	0.38	0.83	0.57
Stoke-on-Trent average		0.482		0.059	0.347	521	0.274	0.649	0.525	670.6	208
* School has since been replaced with an academy

STAFFORDSHIRE
	Number of pupils	Pupils achieving 5 or more A* to Cs, including English and maths	Position in LEA	Pupils achieving English Baccalaureate	Pupils achieving 5 or more A* to Cs, including English and maths (GCSE only)	Number of disadvantaged pupils	Disadvantaged pupils achieving 5 or more A* to Cs, including English and maths	Pupils making expected progress in English	Pupils making expected progress in maths	Average points score per student at A-level or equivalent	Average points score per exam at A-level or equivalent
Alleyne's High School, Stone	214	0.59	31	0.09	0.57	12	0.25	0.71	0.62	787.6	205.2
Biddulph High School	197	0.63	25	0.1	0.62	18	0.28	0.85	0.67	781.1	221.8
Blessed William Howard Catholic School, Stafford	166	0.61	28	0.11	0.59	6	0.33	0.75	0.72	844.8	210.1
Blythe Bridge High School	171	0.58	33	0.29	0.54	7	0.29	0.7	0.54	647.8	204.4
The Cheadle Academy	165	0.53	41	0.14	0.44	11	0.18	0.7	0.6
Chesterton Community Sports College	91	0.66	22	0.09	0.53	21	0.38	0.84	0.86
Clayton Hall Business & Language College	192	0.69	15	0.4	0.69	10	0.1	0.78	0.69
Clough Hall Technology School. Kidsgrove	126	0.43	58	0	0.32	24	0.25	0.65	0.38	563.9	171.9
Denstone College	83	0.93	5	0.48	0.93	NP	NP	NP	NP	769.8	235.7
Endon High School	144	0.74	11	0.29	0.7	4	SUPP	0.9	0.74
King Edward VI High School, Stafford	137	0.52	44	0.18	0.5	20	0.35	0.66	0.59	786.4	205.9
Leek College										530.3	212.8
Leek High Specialist Technology School	107	0.63	26	0.06	0.49	14	0.43	0.73	0.73	595.1	179.1
Madeley High School	120	0.74	12	0.09	0.74	7	0.43	0.81	0.97
Maryhill High School, Kidsgrove	126	0.52	43	0.03	0.42	14	0.21	0.72	0.55	604	201.2
Moorlands VI Form College, Cheadle										922.1	209.2
Moorside High School, Werrington	134	0.55	38	0.12	0.54	11	0.45	0.78	0.54
NCHS The Science College, Newcastle	69	0.48	53	0.25	0.42	12	0.5	0.69	0.71
Newcastle-under-Lyme College										689	212.7
Newcastle-under-Lyme School	122	0.98	2	0.79	0.98	NP	NP	NP	NP	938.6	233.3
Painsley Catholic College, Cheadle	176	0.82	7	0.35	0.82	9	0.56	0.93	0.81
St Dominic's Priory School, Stone	24	0.75	10	0	0.75	NP	NP	NP	NP	1071.7	235.3
St John Fisher Catholic College, Newcastle	166	0.57	36	0.13	0.53	18	0.39	0.73	0.7	766.8	202.6
Sir Graham Balfour High School, Stafford	168	0.49	51	0.17	0.48	17	0.18	0.69	0.56	625.3	199
Sir Thomas Boughey High School, Halmerend	149	0.7	14	0.05	0.66	9	0.33	0.85	0.73
Stafford College										624.4	218.3
Stafford Grammar School	72	1	1	0.63	1	NP	NP	NP	NP	827.6	241.8
Stafford Sports College	60	0.35	62	0	0.27	16	0.19	0.64	0.39	490.6	163.2
Thomas Alleyne's High School, Uttoxeter	342	0.51	46	0.14	0.51	14	0.14	0.67	0.64	685.9	198.3
Walton High School, Stafford	182	0.79	9	0.27	0.76	4	SUPP	0.92	0.75	819.4	217.9
The Weston Road Academy, Stafford	149	0.59	32	0.17	0.53	7	0.29	0.72	0.7	778.6	215.7
Westwood College, Leek	206	0.66	19	0.26	0.63	14	0.43	0.89	0.61	823	222.5
Wolstanton High School	214	0.55	39	0.01	0.46	26	0.23	0.59	0.46
Staffordshire average		0.565		0.125	0.513	909	0.262	0.708	0.619	714.8	210.7

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