A SCHOOL has been labelled as one of the worst in the country for Key Stage Three results, despite having rapidly improving GCSE results.

Lee Harris, headteacher at Blakewater College in Blackburn, dismissed the table which ranked his school fourth worst in the country as "nonsensical."

And education authority Blackburn with Darwen Council defended the school, which it said had made considerable progress since opening in April 2005.

The national Key Stage Three tables, out today, rank 14-year-olds' performance in English, maths and science tests.

It is the second year in a row that the school has been on the Government's list for the worst 200 schools for the collective test results for the three core subjects, but the Shadsworth Road school has fallen from 82nd to fourth worst in 12 months.

The tables are ranked according to the percentage of students achieving level five or above, the standard expected of their age.

Blakewater's aggregate score for 2007 is 97, against the national average of 223.

Blakewater replaced Queen's Park Technology College after it recorded some of the worst GCSE results in the country.

Last year, the school's GCSE results were some of the best in the borough, and last January it was on a Government list of 100 best schools in helping children progress from arrival to GCSEs.

Mr Harris, who was brought in as a 'superhead' to turn the school around, said: "These tables don't measure like with like, because our youngsters don't come in from primary at the same level as many at other schools.

"Raw scores show you nothing unless it's in context.

"That KS3 year was clearly one of the weaker ones, but our CVA score is 100.2 which shows that our kids are making good progress, more than the Government expected.

"When you compare that to other schools getting top marks, our children are making more progress.

"It's never nice to be at the bottom of any list, even if it is a nonsense measure, but we will be explaining to pupils that it isn't like for like and they are making good progress."

Peter Morgan, director of children's services for the council, said: "The college has made significant improvement of the percentage of pupils achieving the higher grade GCSEs in a short space of time."