TWO local schools have been highlighted for their best practice in a Parliamentary document aimed at leading policymakers and executives within secondary education.

Settle College and St Bernard's Catholic High School both feature in The Parliamentary Review, which takes a look back at the year in Westminster and education.

Michele Costello, principal of Settle College - a 600-pupil school - writes in the review of how the school being judged as 'requiring improvement' in September 2013, 12 days after her appointment, came as 'a shock to the system'.

"Since then we have worked tirelessly to raise expectations and aspirations at all levels," she writes. "We were delighted to be judged 'good' in all areas in December 2015."

The school was in the top ten per cent of schools nationally for 'value added' at GCSE.

Ms Costello also writes: "Examination outcomes are of course important, but equally important is our commitment to ensuring that students have access to a wide range of enrichment opportunities."

She states that all staff complete a personal journal as part of their commitment to improving an aspect of practice in the classroom.

Mary Page, headteacher of St Bernard's High School, an 814-pupil school at Barrow, writes in the review of how in the past 18 months the school has moved up two Ofsted categories from 'inadequate' to 'good' - and achieved the best examination results in its history.

She describes how she has revamped the English department and also developed the accountability structure within the school, including introducing formal lesson observations.

Heads of year have been replaced by 'achievement managers' and a team of 'pastoral support officers' set up to focus on non-academic issues faced by pupils.

"As a 'good' school we are in a position to convert to academy status and we intend to do this by forming a Multi Academy Trust with our partner primary schools," writes Mrs Page.