THE school league tables are published today, and congratulations are once again in order. We are very fortunate to live in an area with so many good schools.

Their very consistency can lead to our taking them for granted. But to produce excellent academic results year after year is a remarkable achievement.

Our thanks must go to the teachers who strive so hard to give their pupils the best start in life, and to the education authorities who offer them the support they need.

Being blessed with so many thriving schools should not obscure us to the flawed nature of the league tables, however.

It is right that information on a school's examination results is in the public domain.

But the tables concentrate entirely on academic accomplishment, which is only one role of a school. They are also hugely unfair, pitting school against school without taking into account the wildly varying social and economic circumstances of their pupil intake.

To make this point, the Liberal Democrats have done their own survey, which confirms the link between schools with the lowest exam results and areas of deprivation.

That is why the "value-added" column is to be welcomed. The Government has responded to criticisms of league tables by introducing a new measurement, intended to track the improvement of pupils from age 11 to 14, and again from 14 to 16.

Two of the schools in this pilot scheme are from North Yorkshire. Jill Hodges, head teacher of one of them, Norton College, is a firm believer in the "value-added" assessment. It means schools that are bringing on pupils in leaps and bounds, yet have no chance of topping the exam league, will enjoy long overdue recognition.

Raw data about exam results only reveals a fraction of the full picture. Tracking pupils' real improvement will help to give a fuller view of a school's performance.

Schools and parents should welcome the Government's aim to introduce this measure nationally in time for next year's tables.

Updated: 10:38 Thursday, November 22, 2001