THIS year's exam results have shown schools in Blackburn and Darwen as some of the most improved in the country.

Provisional GCSE results released by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) today show that 59 per cent of pupils gained the Government target of five or more GCSEs at A* to C.

That is a 7.3 per cent rise on last year, putting the borough in the top 20 most improved authorities.

The number of students achieving at least one GCSE has also gone up, to 97.9 per cent.

Lancashire County Council, which covers schools in Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, also showed a slight increase, from 58.3 per cent to 61 per cent of pupils achieving the target grades.

Schools Minister Jim Knight congratulated schools in Blackburn with Darwen for another steady increase.

He said: "These excellent results demonstrate the hard work and commitment put in on a daily basis by teachers, pupils, and parents.

"Everyone involved in education in Blackburn with Darwen today should be really proud of these results."

Nationally, the proportion of pupils getting five good GCSEs rose to 61.5 per cent, although the number of pupils achieving the new benchmark of five A* to C including maths and English is still less than 50per cent, meaning more than half of 16 year-olds are leaving without reaching literacy and numeracy benchmarks.

But Mr Knight defended the progress, saying: "Whatever the carping from the usual doom mongers, 470,000 more young people since 1997 have got a better start in life.

"There's been significant progress after inheriting a dire legacy - over half of schools had less than three in 10 pupils getting five GCSEs including English and maths 10 years ago.

"We've slashed that shocking figure to under a quarter."

The finalised league tables are expected in January.