SCHOOLS in Bolton have proved they are a class act after being recognised as among the best in the country in this year’s secondary school performance tables.

Bolton posted its best ever performance of 60.2 per cent of young people achieving five or more A* to C GCSE results including English and maths.

This placed Bolton 58th in a table of 152 local authorities.

Five schools in Bolton — Bolton Muslim Girls’ School, Bolton School, Canon Slade, Mount St Joseph and Sharples — have been rated among the best in the country.

Bolton Muslim Girls School was among the top 200 state schools for the numbers of pupils achieving the EBacc, the government’s new benchmark of success.

Headteacher Mubaaruck Ibrahim said: “We are extremely proud of the outstanding achievements of our learners, who consistently produce outstanding results year in, year out.

“To be in the top 200 schools in the country for the English Baccalaureate is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work of our learners, staff, parents, carers and governors.” Sharples School and Mount St Joseph in Farnworth are among the top 200 most improved state secondary schools in the country.

Mount St Joseph’s GCSE results have soared year-on-year since 2009 to 71 per cent of children making the grade.

Headteacher Paul Roach said:”The school is delighted with the confirmation of this year’s examination results.

“The governors, staff and whole community are thrilled that this has placed the school in the top two performing state schools in Bolton.

“The most pleasing data shows that the progress made by students places the school in the top one per cent of schools nationally for performance, based on the prior attainment of students.

“This builds on the success of previous years and reflects the ethos that all students can achieve and exceed their potential, and there are no boundaries to success.”

He said the school’s national recognition was thanks to a continuing focus on: “The individual needs of students, high quality teaching and learning on a daily basis, a personalised curriculum and an ethos that all children can achieve.”

Canon Slade School was in the top 200 state schools for its A-level results.

Bolton School girls’ division was in the top 200 of all schools for the numbers of teenagers achieving the EBacc, while the boys’ division was in the top 200 of all schools for its GCSE results.