Dudley North MP today congratulated Ellowes Hall Sports College on being one of the 100 schools with the most sustained improvement in the whole country.

Official school by school results for the whole of England published today show that Ellowes Hall Sports College increased the number of pupils getting five or more GCSEs at A*-C grade including English and maths rose from 39% in 2006 to 61% in 2009 - an increase of 22% percentage points.

Austin will congratulate teachers and pupils in person on Thursday 21 January when he presents the prizes at the schools annual presentation evening.

Ian Austin MP said:

"I want to congratulate Mr Griffiths and all his staff on this great achievement!  Since becoming an MP one of my top priorities has been to improve the quantity and quality of education here in Dudley and it is through hard work like theirs that we will get there.

“The results that have been published today show that over the last three years Ellowes Hall has made constant improvements and more local kids have left with the qualifications they need to get on in life.”

“It’s the 53rd most sustained improved school in the whole country. Something that parents, teachers and pupils should all be very proud and pleased of.”

Labour's Schools Secretary Ed Balls added:

"Congratulations to all the pupils, staff and governors at Ellowes Hall Sport College. This is a great achievement which everybody involved in the school can be truly proud of and I hope that they will continue to go from strength to strength in the years to come."

It is not just Ellowes Hall Sports College schools across Dudley have seen big improvements in results, according to today’s figures. Over the last year (2009 compared to 2008) in Dudley there has been:

• a 5.6 percentage points rise (from 61.1% to 66.7%) in the number of pupils getting five or more GCSEs at A*-C grade. This is a big increase of 22.4 percentage points from just 44.3% in 1998.
• a 1.9 percentage points rise (from 46.9% to 48.8%) in the number of pupils getting five or more GCSEs at A*-C grade, including in the vital subjects of English and maths. This is a big increase of 15.4 percentage points from just 33.4% in 1998.

Ian Austin MP added:

“Thanks to extra investment and the hard work of teachers and pupils, there has been a revolution in our local schools. There are 190 more teachers and 1,040 more teaching assistants across Dudley.  Exam results are up, school buildings and facilities have been transformed, and more young people are staying on in education or doing an apprenticeship at 16.

“But the claim by the Conservative schools spokesman in the House of Commons this week that there has been no improvement in the education system is an insult to local schools, teachers, pupils and parents. He should come to Dudley, see the huge change that’s taken place over the last 12 years and apologise for his offensive and out of touch remarks.

"As teachers and parents know we can only keep improving our local schools and supporting the aspirations of all young people by keeping up the investment.

“While the Government will continue to increase schools funding in real terms every year, the Conservatives are committed to immediate cuts to local schools if they win the election this year. That would turn back the clock on all the improvements of the last decade and would be a disaster for local schools. It would mean losing the teachers and teaching assistants who make our schools work and is the last thing our area needs or wants.”