New league tables have been published today showing how well Cumbria's secondary schools are performing following last summer's GCSEs.

The data is part of the Key Stage Four information for every secondary school in the country released by the Department for Education.

Post 16 information has also been released.

The headline performance figures focus on the progress children make over the course of their five-year secondary education - a measure called Progress 8.

Others include a school's Attainment 8 score which is based on how well pupils performed across eight subjects.

English and maths are compulsory and there are six other approved qualifications that can count towards it.

The Department for Education has also released figures on the proportion of teenagers gaining a grade 5 in the new English and maths exams taken for the first time last summer.

Exam reforms mean that students are now getting numerical grades from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest) in English and maths. Other subjects will start being graded in this way in future years in a phased move away from the old A*-G system.

Today's figures show that in Cumbria more than 42 per cent of students gained grade 5 or above - equivalent to a high C or low B grade - in English and maths.

It is on a par with other students in England.

But on performance, Cumbria's Progress 8 figure of -0.13 is lower than the English average of -0.03.

The Department of Education has warned against comparing 2017 figures released today with previous years due to the wide ranging reforms.

Today, the DfE has announced that educational standards continue to rise across England's secondary schools with results showing more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving good grades in the core academic subjects.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: "Academic standards are rising in our schools thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, with 1.9million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. "Today’s results reinforce this success, with teachers and pupils responding well to the new more rigorous curriculum introduced by this government.

"The attainment gap between the most disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed by 10 per cent since 2011, and more disadvantaged pupils are studying the core academic subjects, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills they need to make the most of their lives.

"Many free schools and academies are also delivering excellent results for pupils – with Harris Federation and Dixons Academy trusts leading the way.

"We will continue to use this evidence to drive up standards even further for all pupils so that they leave school prepared for future success in their education and beyond, helping to build a Britain that is fit for the future."

School leaders' union the NAHT also warns the figures are not comparable.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, said: "Head teachers, staff and students have worked hard in every secondary school across the country to support their students to achieve their potential. We pay tribute to their dedication.

“Unfortunately, every year, schools’ achievements can be overshadowed by comparisons between one year’s results and the next. In a year of such unprecedented changes to GCSEs, these kinds of comparisons are particularly unjust and unreliable.

“There has been so much change that the school performance tables generated by the government are increasingly dubious. It really is like comparing apples with pears, trying to draw any meaningful conclusions from the performance tables. Comparing one year with another, or one group of schools with another, is precarious at best when the very basis of measurement is different each time. While data such as school league tables can be useful, there are no ‘health warnings’ given about the numbers published and there should be."

He added that there were further years of uncertainty to come as the rest of the reforms are implemented.

He also called for more stability in the exam system.

To see how your school has performed, visit: http://bit.ly/2E8yRom.