NORTH Durham Labour MP Kevan Jones has praised schools in his constituency for their GCSE results.

Park View Community School, Chester-le-Street, was one of the best performing schools in the North-East, with 81 per cent of pupils getting at least five GCSE grades between A* and C.

There were also good results for Stanley School of Technology, Greencroft School, Stanley, the Hermitage School, in Chester-le-Street, and Tanfield College of Science and Engineering, near Stanley.

Mr Jones said: "This year's good results are a well-deserved reward for the hard work that the pupils and staff at schools across North Durham have done in preparing for their GCSEs. I'd like to congratulate them all."

In County Durham, the percentage of pupils achieving five or more higher grades rose by 5.5 per cent this year.