OUTSTANDING - that's how Government inspectors rated two York secondary schools, which have been named on a list of the best in the country.

All Saints' RC and Manor Schools feature on Ofsted's "outstanding" list, which rates the top 457 primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges, on the way they performed in inspections in the past academic year.

Schools appear in the list because they were found to provide an excellent or very good quality of education across the full range of their work, and pupils achieved well.

Ofsted regional manager Sue Barkway visited All Saints' yesterday morning to congratulate staff and pupils on their achievements.

Manor School is one of only 78 schools to appear on the list for the second time, having last made the list in 1998.

For All Saints', the award comes after the school celebrated its 20 year anniversary in October.

Head teacher Bill Scriven said: "This really is a fantastic accolade for the staff and pupils both past and present. I will be holding a governors meeting tomorrow to tell them the good news, which caps off a great year for us."

The school now has 1,150 youngsters on two sites on Nunnery Lane and Mill Mount. It opened in September, 1985, as an 11-18 Roman Catholic comprehensive school on its two sites, next to Bar Convent, in Nunnery Lane, and at

Mill Mount, on the site of the former Mill Mount Girls' Grammar School.

The school was formed by bringing together three existing RC secondary schools in York - St George's (boys), St Margaret Clitherow (girls) and the Bar Grammar School (mixed).

All Saints' has undergone three Ofsted inspections in that time, all with positive findings, culminating in the inspection in November, 2004, in which the school was categorised "very good", and teaching and learning as "excellent".

The school was awarded Language College and Arts College status in 1995 and 2004 respectively.

Manor School has 640 pupils, and earlier this year a successful bid for Government funding to shake up education in the south of the city meant the school was earmarked for an ambitious expansion programme, which would see pupil numbers boosted to 900.

Head teacher Brian Crosby said: "This really is the icing on the cake for us here at Manor. I am absolutely thrilled and delighted. It's a recognition of all the hard work we have been putting in over the last few years.

"It reflects the school as we know it, in that we provide high quality education for young people from many different backgrounds."

Among the local primary schools on the list was the 56-pupil Bugthorpe Primary, near Stamford Bridge, in East Yorkshire.

Head teacher Kay Woodfine said: "When the inspectors came in May and June, their report described the school as a 'gem' and that's down to all the hard work which has been put in by everybody in the school."

The chief inspector of schools, David Bell, said: "I heartily congratulate the head teachers, staff, governors and pupils at All Saints' and Manor Schools on their success and hard work in delivering such a high standard of education."

Updated: 10:44 Wednesday, December 07, 2005