NUMBERS of young people leaving school with strong passes in English and maths has fallen as children, overall, continue to make below average progress in Bury's schools.

The department for education has released the provisional results from this summer's GCSE exams showing the best and worst performing schools.

Figures show that the percentage of pupils leaving school with good 9-5 passes in English and maths has gone down compared to last year ­— falling from 39.4 per cent in 2018 to 37.1 per cent, and was way behind the national average.

The England state-funded school average stood at 43 per cent.

No school posted a score which showed their children made "well above average progress" ­— overall children made "below average" progress in schools as they did last year.

Only children at The Derby School made "above average progress" in the Progress 8 measure, average progress was made in four schools and the rest posted below or well below average progress scores.

Progress 8 score shows how much progress pupils at this school made between leaving primary school and at the end of secondary school, compared to pupils across England who got similar results in the SATs result.

The best performing school for results was Manchester Mesivta School with 51.4 per cent of pupils achieving strong passes in English and maths, number two was St Monica's RC School, where 47.1 per cent of children left with good passes in the core subjects. Average progress scores were posted by both those schools.

But Bury scored well on the numbers of young people being entered for the English Baccalaureate ­— taking GCSEs in English, maths, sciences, a language and either history or geography. Just over 50 per cent of pupils studied those subjects compared to 40 per cent nationally.

But the Attainment 8 score of 43.4 per cent was lower the national average of 46.6 per cent.

Attainment 8 is an average score across eight subjects taken at GCSEs, which includes English and maths. The higher the score, the better.

In A-levels, 7.3 per cent of students achieved 3As or A* or better, compared to a North West average of 9.7 per cent and a national average of 12.3 per cent.

Figures for those achieving grades AAB or better stood at 14.5 per cent, the regional average was 16.8 per cent and nationally that figure was 20.3 per cent.

Provisional tables ranked by progress children make at secondary school.

This score shows how much progress pupils at made at a school (between the end of key stage 2 and the end of key stage 4) compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2. ​Also included is the percentage of pupils who achieved 9-5 grades in English and maths.

The Derby High School: Above Average; 40.6 per cent

St Monica's RC High School: Average ; 47.1 per cent

Manchester Mesivta School: Average; 51.4 per cent

Woodhey High School: Average; 40.9 per cent

The Elton High School: Average; 36.8 per cent

Unsworth Academy: Below Average 38.1 per cent

Bury Church of England High School: Below Average; 42 per cent

Parrenthorn High School: Below Average; 33.8 per cent

St Gabriel's RC High School: Below Average; 46.3 per cent

Prestwich Arts College: Below Average; 32.9 per cent

Philips High School: Below Average; 29.1 per cent

Tottington High School: Well Below Average; 32.2 per cent

Broad Oak High School (now closed): Well Below Average; 18.8 per cent

Nationally provisional national figures, published by the Department for Education (DfE) show that 57 per cent of teenagers at state secondary schools in England did not get a grade five or above in English and maths GCSE this summer.

A grade five is considered a strong pass by the Government and is used to hold schools to account for performance.

Just over a third of state-educated pupils did not score at least a grade four, broadly equivalent to a C, in both English and maths GCSEs, the figures show.

Teenagers who score a grade four in these subjects do not have to re-sit the GCSEs, while those who gain grades below this level must continue to study them post-16.

Figures also show that two in five teenagers (40 per cent ) were entered for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

This is a measure that recognises pupils who study a suite of core academic subjects at GCSE - English, maths, science, history or geography and a foreign language.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: "Standards continue to rise in our schools, with today's data showing an increasing proportion of pupils taking the all-important core academic subjects at GCSE that make up the English Baccalaureate.

"These subjects widen opportunities for young people and are key to social mobility."

There was also variation in GCSE performance by region, with the highest-performing local authorities concentrated in London and the South, and the lowest-performing in northern and Midland areas.

Under major exam reforms in England, a new numerical grading system has been introduced with GCSEs graded from nine to one.

The vast majority of GCSEs were graded under the new system this summer.

A grade four is broadly equivalent to an old grade C, and a grade seven broadly equivalent to an old grade A.

Nationally around one in eight teenagers scored a hat-trick or more of top grades in their A-levels this year.

In addition, around a fifth of students achieved at least two A grades and a B in the exams.