The affluent district of Newton Mearns on the southern outskirts of Glasgow is just a short bus ride away from socially-deprived Govan, but when it comes to education league tables they remain worlds apart.

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This year's publication of school exam rankings tells a predictable story for Glasgow City Council - bottom of the league for both Standard grade and Higher results.

Down the road in East Renfrewshire, the local authority's schools came top for Highers and in the top three for Standard grades.

Frank Corrigan, head teacher at Cardonald-based Lourdes Secondary School believes that the league tables do not help schools achieve better results.

Other factors are important say teachers

The Glasgow City Council-run school has a huge catchment area which incorporates inner city estates in Pollok, Govan and Tradeston.

It was ranked 218th out of 423 schools in the league table this year and showed a vast improvement on previous years.

But despite his school's improved performance in 2001, and the obvious morale boost which it has given to staff, he is no fan of league tables.

He said: "I don't like them, I don't think they do anything to help us achieve. You really need to take into account other factors.

"When I was working in Easterhouse in the 1980s, out of one set of school leavers there was just one pupil who got a job, the others were unemployed.

Snapshot picture

"As a head it is very important for me to tell my pupils that if they work hard they will have a future after they leave school.

"This year 47% of our children went on to higher and further education, and when you include employment and training schemes that accounts for about 80%.

"That is the kind of message which gives pupils hope."

Councillor Jim Fletcher, the education convener at East Renfrewshire Council, has every right to feel pleased about the high performance of his schools.

But he voiced caution: "Our one concern about league tables is that they present a snapshot picture of one particular part of the education service and don't reflect the excellent achievements made in our schools with children of all abilities.

"One of our schools, Barrhead, does not appear in the top spots of the league table but it is in fact Scotland's most improved secondary school where the head teacher there has doubled the number of pupils going on to further and higher education.

"That is as important a fact as coming high in the tables."

East Renfrewshire boasts some of the top state schools in the country. St Ninian's is Scotland's top performing Catholic school and Mearns Castle and Williamwood High come within the top of 40 of the list.

The council says it recognises that affluent suburban areas such as Giffnock and Newton Mearns produce pupils from economically stable backgrounds.

A spokesman said: "We know that families move into the area because they recognise the higher attainment of schools. But to be fair to our Glasgow neighbours, they do have high achieving pupils."

We know that families move into the area because they recognise the higher attainment of schools. But to be fair to our Glasgow neighbours, they do have high achieving pupils.

Councillor Jim Fletcher, the education convener at East Renfrewshire Council

He admitted that East Renfrewshire schools did not have to cope with the same socio-economic problems as inner city Glasgow, but said issues such as marriage break-ups were no less a factor.

Alan McGinlay is head teacher of high-achieving Mearns Castle High in Newton Mearns.

He said: "I am very pleased the pupils got the good results which they deserved. And I am convinced that that is down to a partnership between good teaching and high expectations."

I am very pleased the pupils got the good results which they deserved. And I am convinced that that is down to a partnership between good teaching and high expectations

Alan McGinlay, headteacher of Mearns Castle High in Newton Mearns

However, Mr McGinlay issued a "health warning" on the tables. He said his school was not an "exam factory" and should not be judged on results alone.

Mr McGinlay believed that what made his school special was its ethos and partnership approach involving hard working teachers and pupils and supportive parents.

Ken Corsar, education services director with Glasgow City Council, said the school league tables were a "crude" way of measuring performance which took no account of factors such as social and economic circumstances.

He said: "Exam performance in Glasgow schools is showing a steady improvement in both Standard grades and Highers.

"Indeed, we are one of only three local authorities in Scotland to show an improvement since 1999 across all five national target areas.

"When social factors such as poverty and deprivation are taken into account, our evidence is that, on average, Glasgow schools are doing well compared to schools in other similarly disadvantaged areas in Scotland and in larger urban areas in England."