ALMOST half of the county’s state secondary schools have failed to achieve the national average number of pupils passing five or more GCSEs, including English and maths.

League tables, published last Thursday, show the average for state-funded schools in England is 58.8% but nine of Cheshire West and Chester’s 20 high schools failed to reach this level.

Bishops’ Blue Coat CE High School, in Great Boughton, saw its percentage plunge from 68% in 2011 to 56% in 2012.

Headteacher Justin Blakebrough blames the furore last summer as a result of English examination results being regraded, meaning many pupils lost out on the chance of a grade C and hence progression into sixth form or on to further education courses.

He said: “The problem is the exam system. Different schools sit different exam boards, which means that about one in four schools, including ours, were affected. Most of our pupils sat the AQA English board exam and some the WJEC board, both of which were affected by the changes.

“Some schools enter their candidates early, in January, and then cash in the results. Therefore, pupils entering in the January of 2012 could have ended up with a lower mark in their exam but a higher grade than those who sat the exam in the summer.

“We entered pupils in January but didn’t cash in the results so candidates ended up getting lower grades in the summer.

“We had predicted getting about 66% in this year’s table, which would have been a drop of just 2% on the previous year, not 12%.”

A judicial review into the exam debacle was expected before Christmas but has been delayed.

A Cheshire West and Chester Council spokesman did not make any specific comment about the latest results but said: “Schools continue to concentrate on targeting support for children and improving the quality of teaching and learning to raise standards further. The council monitors and checks schools and supports them as they continue to improve.

“Everyone accepts that schools are always seeking to improve on standards.”

Topping the league in Cheshire West and Chester is St Nicholas Catholic High School in Northwich, with 79% of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs including English and maths.

Headteacher Kieran Kelly said: “I am immensely proud of these results and what they say about the staff and students. They reflect the dedication and hard work of staff who not only have high expectations but also do everything they possibly can to ensure that those high expectations are turned into high student achievement.

“For their part, the students deserve all their success because they work as hard as they can and make a magnificent contribution to the life of the school. They are a superb body of young people and they are a credit to their families and themselves as well as the school.”

Helsby High School had the highest percentage of pupils passing the new English Baccalaureate (37%) qualification, which means passes in English, maths, two sciences, a modern foreign language and either history or geography.