THE headteacher of the school with the worst record for achieving GCSEs in Lancashire has defended his school, saying the figures do not tell the whole story.

Only 15 percent of the 103 pupils sitting GCSEs last summer at City of Preston High School gained five A* to C grades, placing the institution, bottom of the Lancashire league table.

Steve Roe, headteacher of the Ribbleton Hall Drive school, formerly known as Ribbleton Hall High, says taking into account a value added category, which includes the improvement of pupils, his school is actually in the top 41 percent in the country.

"The league table represents a crude comparison, it's like comparing Manchester United with Accrington Stanley.

"The job of the educator is get the best out the children they can, and I believe my school achieves that," said Mr Roe, pictured right.

However, the number marks a five per cent increase on last year when 10 per cent of pupils gained five GCSEs.

More than half the number of children sitting the exams had special educational needs.

The school achieved a value added score of 934.8 out of 1000. This score takes into account the improvement of pupils from when they sat Key Stage 2 exams at the age of 11 to the grades they achieved at GCSE.

He added: "There's no doubt that my school is the lowest achieving school in Lancashire, but when you look at value added it's better than it had been.

"The children at my school do the best they can, they achieve to their ability."

The next lowest achieving school in the county was Burnley Barden High, where 17 percent of the pupils achieved the same number of GCSEs.