Three inner-city Bradford secondary schools have been named among Britain's best for improving their pupils' performance.

Staff and students at Dixons City Academy, Feversham College and Grange Technology College were celebrating today after finishing in the top 50 schools in a national league table for adding value to pupils' performance between 11 and 16.

Feversham College for Muslim girls, in Undercliffe, was named as the second best in the country for 2005 for so-called "value added" after being named as the nation's best in 2004.

The school's head teacher Tracey McNally said: "Feversham College is a faith based College, underpinned by an Islamic ethos, which influences the quality of teaching and learning. Our added value is high because we have a rigorous focus on teaching and learning and we monitor student progress very closely."

Dixons City Technology College, which is now a city academy, finished 15th in the country

Sir John Lewis, the academy's chief executive, said: "It is the third year in a row that Dixons City Technology College has been in the top 20 secondary schools for added value but the first time that the college has also featured on the top 100 schools for raw scores.

"As that particular table includes all the selective grammar schools in the country it really is a commendable outcome for a mixed ability comprehensive school. It is fitting that these exceptional results represent the final achievement of Dixons City Technology College."

Grange Technology College's head teacher John Player put the school's achievement down to quality teaching, good attitudes among pupils and a close monitoring of their performance.

Mr Player, who received an OBE this year for transforming Grange from a failing school, told the T&A that each pupil had a review every term to give them targets of how they can improve their level of attainment.