STATE schools in the Sevenoaks area recorded the worst GCSEs results in all of England last year, shock statistics show.

Fewer than one in three pupils achieved "good GCSEs" according to a damning report from the Department of Health.

Michael Fallon MP described the news as "disappointing" but the county council dismissed the figures as "crude".

Improvements are expected when the new Knole Academy replaces Wildernesse and Bradbourne schools next month, education bosses say.

The Sevenoaks Health Profile, published last week, is intended to provide a snapshot of the area and highlight regional problems by ranking the area against others nationwide.

Sevenoaks compares favourably on life expectancy, violent crime and levels of deprivation, but the profile presents a worrying picture of our state schools.

Only 32.1 per cent of students achieved five or more "good GCSEs" – those graded A* to C including English and mathematics – in 2009.

Mr Fallon said: "These are obviously disappointing figures, but the whole point of the new academy is to help students, particularly those who haven't passed the 11-plus.

"They should bring out the best in the schools, under new management and with more independence from Whitehall."

The Sevenoaks area runs from Hextable in the north to Cowden in the south and from Westerham Hill to Kemsing.

The figures relate to the academic year 2008/09 and encompass Wildernesse School, Bradbourne School, plus Swanley Technical College and Hextable School.

Health Profiles are produced by the Association of Public Health Observatories with funding from the Department of Health.

They are designed to help councils and local health services identify problems and act upon them.

But Kent County Council's head of education, Sarah Hohler, said: "The Department of Health's analysis of GCSE achievement in Sevenoaks is crude to say the least. This is not about children who live there but those who attend state schools in the district.

"There is no recognition whatsoever that the district, unlike any other in Kent, does not have grammar schools. Nor is the number of independent and private schools taken into account."

Nearly half (48 per cent) of Bradbourne students recorded five "good GCSEs" in 2009, compared with Swanley College's 22 per cent.

Hextable's pass rate was 37 per cent and Wildernesse's 25 per cent.