The best and worst performing secondary schools in Epping Forest have been revealed after the government published league tables.

Only two schools in the district showed any improvement on last year, with two seeing results fall dramatically.

The government target is 40 per cent of pupils achieving five A to C grades at GCSE, including maths and English.

Currently 56.6 per cent of pupils in England reach that level.

Only 38 per cent reached the standard at King Harold Business & Enterprise Academy, in Broomstick Hall Road, Waltham Abbey, a 20 per cent fall from last year.

Results  Epping St John's Church of England School, in Tower Road, also dipped by 20 per cent to 45 per cent.

The performance indicator has been criticised nationally after government changes designed to make exams more academically rigorous and only a pupil's first attempt at an exam is considered.

The district's best performing school was Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College in Roding Lane, Chigwell.

Despite an eight per cent drop in results, 89 per cent of pupils reached the required level.

Braeside School, in High Road, Buckhurst Hill, and Roding Valley High School in Loughton were the only two schools to show improvement on last year.

The all-girls Braeside saw 88 per cent of pupils reaching the required standard, an increase of 14 per cent on last year.