A dozen of the 14 high schools in and around Huddersfield which have become academies have seen results improve.

The statistics mirror a national trend which shows that across the board GCSE results tend to improve after a school has converted to an academy.

However, in many cases this may well be the continuation of an improving trend from the years before conversion, according to statistics produced by publisher Trinity Mirror.

Of the 14 secondary academies in and around Huddersfield, 12 of them showing improved results last summer, compared with summer 2012.

Only Shelley College and Thornhill Community Academy showed a drop in the percentages of pupils gaining five GCSE A*-C passes, including English and maths.

Shelley’s pass rate fell from 80% to 68% - still well above the national average - and Thornhill’s from 63% to 54%.

In England and Wales, 77.8% of academies improved their GCSE results while 22.2% had worse results than pre-conversion.

However, Kirklees Council has said that the general trend locally is upwards and warned of the unreliability of statistics which compared state schools with academies.

A spokesman said: “The most important figure is that, in 2013, the overall GCSE achievement of Kirklees students was above the national average.

“In total, 62.6% of local students achieved the key benchmark of at least five A* to C grades, including English and maths, whereas the national average was 59.2%. Since 2010, GCSE outcomes across Kirklees have improved by almost 10% – again well above the average for England.

“We work with all schools, regardless of their status, to help them achieve as highly as possible for children and families.

“Comparing GCSE results for academies with GCSE results for other schools is unreliable for a number of reasons. Schools convert to academy status at different times in the school year and, very importantly, the change in results from one year to the next doesn’t always reflect the overall trend of a school.

“Results for each school can go up or down from year to year, depending on several factors which are far more complex than the school’s status.

“We will continue working in partnership across the whole family of Kirklees schools to seek even greater progress. Our shared aim is to continue raising standards.”

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