CHURCH Schools in Bolton are the borough's top performers outside of the independent sector.

Canon Slade has held on to its position as Bolton's top performing state school.

The Church of England school in Bradshaw saw its results rise by two per cent, with 80 per cent of pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths.

Headteacher Philip Williamson said: "We are extremely proud of our pupils who achieved such outstanding results. Individually and collectively the Year 11 group were hard working and committed to their studies.

"They were also an enormously caring group of young people who involved themselves in a wide range of charitable work. They are to be congratulated on their fine endeavours and their superb examination results."

The school's GCSE pass-rate was more than 20 per cent higher than other state-schools in the borough.

Canon Slade's sixth form department was also the top in the borough for its AS and A-level results, excluding the independent sector. Its A-level results put Canon Slade in the top 200 state schools in the country.

Mr Williamson said: "The skills and commitment of all the staff at Canon Slade School and the encouragement and support given by parents and carers have added to these successes.

"Our pupils also benefit from the strong collaboration that exists between the secondary schools in North Bolton.

"We work together to share good practice and to develop initiatives which help all the young people we serve."

St James CE School in Farnworth was the second best performing state school in Bolton, with 59 per cent of its pupils reaching the benchmark required in GCSEs.

View the secondary school performance tables in full here.