CEDARS Upper School is celebrating its position among the top ten secondary schools in Bedfordshire.

Both Cedars and Vandyke Upper Schools appeared in the new government league tables, which rate the performance of all schools in England.

The tables, released on Thursday, contain 3,000 secondary schools in England which are arranged by local authority area.

Each school is ranked on the percentage of pupils gaining 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and Maths.

The Headteacher at Cedars in Leighton, Andrew Warren, said: “The publication by the government of school performance tables once again shows the excellent progress of students at Cedars Upper School and are a recognition of the hard work of students, parents/carers and teachers.

“Particularly pleasing was our performance on the pilot value-added tables for A levels.

“Cedars’ students now achieve positive value added in KS3, KS4 and KS5, one of the very small number of schools nationally to manage this feat.”

The focus of the new league tables is a measure of exam performance known as CVA, which “give the best indication of a school’s overall effectiveness”, according to the government website.

Tim Carroll, the Headteacher at Vandyke, was delighted that the students’ performance at his school was among the best in the county.

He said: “The success of the school is down to good teaching, good relationships between staff and students, and a special atmosphere that you get when people care about each other and enjoy what they are doing.

“The commitment of staff is matched only be the hard work of students.

“They deserve great credit for their successes that we can all take pride in.”

Speaking about Bedfordshire overall, County Cllr Rita Drinkwater, Cabinet Member for Education said: “We are in this for the long haul, and I am aware that there is room for further improvement.