Newly released school league tables show both A-level and GCSE results have improved in the borough in the last year.

Results for the exams taken last summer were published by the Department for Children, Schools, and Families this month, and they show a steady increase in performance by schools across the borough.

A-level results, scored on average points per student, rose from 679.4 to 688.2, while the percentage of students achieving five or more A*-C grades, including English and maths, jumped from 44.9 per cent to 46.4 per cent. Queensmead School, in Queen's Walk, Ruislip showed the biggest GCSE improvement, with a 10 per cent rise from last year's results.

Rhona Johnston, deputy head-teacher, said: "We were very pleased with the GCSEs. We did one-to-one mentoring with students and teachers, and students took their English language

exams earlier, in November, which allowed us to see where they were and where to improve.

"It was a super Year 11 to work with."

As with all school league tables, not everyone is happy at methods used to assess performance.

Sue Pryor, headteacher at Swakeleys School, Clifton Gardens, Hillingdon, said: "I think it's best to look at more than one measure of a school's performance.

"Yes, five A*-C grades with maths and English is fine, but CVAs (Contextual Value Added)

should also be taken into account."

CVAs are the measure of progress made by students between key stage two tests to GCSE, and provide a way of determining how schools have benefited students over their course of learning.

Marion Lewis, headteacher at Mellow Lane School, Hewes Road, Hayes, which showed a marked improvement in GCSE grades but a significant drop in A-level performance, said: "League tables don't tell the whole story of a school and that's a disappointment.

"We are the second best school in the south of the borough and over 90 per cent of our students were able to get into university."

Haydon School in Wiltshire Lane, Eastcote, was listed in the top 200 schools in the country for its A-level results.

Headteacher Steve Robson said: "I think 2007 was a disappointing year for A-levels and we did a lot of work in trying to find out where we could improve and we're delighted our results are once again as high as 2006."