A SCHOOL has been praised in Parliament for the outstanding improvement in its GCSE results.

Belfairs Academy, in Leigh, was hailed for a 21 per cent rise in the number of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades this year.

Southend West Tory MP David Amess paid tribute to the students and staff during a Commons debate on exam success in south Essex.

Mr Amess asked education minister Liz Truss: “Will my honourable friend join me in congratulating Belfairs Academy in my constituency on a staggering 21 per cent increase in the number of pupils obtaining more than five A* to C grades and a 23 per cent increase overall?

“Will she congratulate all Southend West schools on their wonderful results, which underline why Southend should have been named City of Culture 2017?”

Speaking about the results in south Essex, Ms Truss replied: “There have been some very good results at GCSE in south Essex.

“In common with the rest of the country, we have seen a big rise in the number of students doing core academic subjects, thanks to the English baccalaureate.

“We have seen a 16 per cent rise in modern languages and a record number of girls taking chemistry and physics as GCSEs.”

Belfairs pupils achieved a 69 per cent pass rate for five A*-C grade GCSEs, including maths and English.

Belfairs principal Bev Williams was delighted to see the school’s achievements praised in the House of Commons. She said: “We played it to the staff this morning and they were absolutely delighted with the recognition of their hard work.

“David supports us greatly. It’s fantastic.”