EDUCATION bosses, pupils and teachers are celebrating after vast improvements in GCSE results among some of the region's schools in Government league tables published today.

Stockton Borough Council has been highlighted as the most improved education authority in the country, going from 111th out of 150 authorities last year to joint 67th this year.

Some 54.9 per cent of students in the town attained five or more GCSEs from grade A* to C, up significantly on last year.

Julia Morrison, the council's head of school effectiveness, said: "The authority, schools, teachers, children and young people have all worked incredibly hard, and to see that effort rewarded in Stockton being the most improved authority in the country is absolutely wonderful."

However, celebrations were not limited to Stockton, as many authorities across the North rose in the national rankings of the number of students to attain five or more top-grade GCSEs.

Darlington Borough Council rose from 89th to 53rd, while the top-performing authority in the region, Gateshead, moved up two places to eight.

Chris McEwan, Darlington council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "Our students achieved the best ever GCSE results in the borough last year, with 56 per cent of students getting five grade A* to C, compared to 48.9 per cent in 2004."

North Yorkshire County Council fell one place to 16th, York City Council is 29th, an improvement of six places, while Newcastle rose to 87 from 112.

Even the poorest performing authority in the region, Middlesbrough, which only has 45.7 per cent of students getting five or more top grades, improved from 137th to 134th.

But neighbouring Redcar and Cleveland suffered a big fall this year, from 88th to 118th.

While some individual schools are toasting success this morning, such as Egglescliffe School, near Stockton, which had 80 per cent of students with five or more top grades, an increase of ten per cent, others were assessing their failures.

Among them was Unity City Academy, in Middlesbrough, which has been placed in special measures. It only had 16 per cent of its pupils achieving five top-grade GCSEs, down one per cent on last year. It is one of the worst performers in the country. A spokesman for the academy said: "We have been working hard since the GCSE results were announced in August to address the problems of educational attainment at Unity.

"The Unity City Board has been working closely with the Department for Education and Skills to develop and implement a plan that will enable Unity to make rapid progress."

However, the town's King's Academy, which opened in 2003, said it was pleased that 43 per cent of its pupils achieved five or more top grades, because it was up nine per cent on last year and is more than double the average pass rate for its two predecessor schools.