AMONG THE BEST; Teesside's making the grade in schools guide.

Byline: JOANNA DESIRA

SCHOOLS and colleges across Teesside have made it into this year's Good Schools Guide.

Schools and colleges in England are measured on individual subjects at A-level and GCSE.

The Good School Guide looks at which are the best performing schools in individual subjects, based on results achieved in 2008.

It measures this by looking at the popularity of each subject, the grades achieved by pupils in that subject compared with what they attain in other courses, and the percentage of As and Bs obtained in it.

Cleveland College of Art and Design made it into the guide for five subjects. It achieved the best point score for boys taking the 3D design BTEC national diploma, girls taking fine art BTEC national diploma, girls taking graphic design BTEC national diploma, and boys and girls taking multi-media software BTEC national diploma.

Egglescliffe School had the best points score for boys and girls taking AS-level music technology while Hartlepool College of Further Education, Macmillan Academy, in Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough College, and Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough also made it in.

St Mary's College in Middlesbrough achieved the best point score in two vocational AS-levels - for boys taking art and design applied AS-level and girls taking health and social care applied AS-level.

St Mary's principal Don Lillistone said: "Both subject areas have grown in popularity over recent years and the teachers have done brilliantly in developing the programmes."

At GCSE, Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough, All Saints CE School, in Ingleby Barwick, Blakeston School, in Norton, Freebrough College, in Brotton, Our Lady and St Bede's RC School, in Stockton and Sacred Heart RC School in Redcar all made it into the guide for a variety of subjects. * For more details of the schools in this year's guide go to gazettelive.co.uk