Faith schools have topped the league tables in Sussex for pre-GCSE results.

Department for Education and Skills tables show church schools ranked first in each education authority for Key Stage 3 exams taken by 14-year-olds last summer.

Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove topped the table for Brighton and Hove, St Richard's Catholic College in Bexhill performed best in East Sussex and Bishop Luffa Church of England School in Chichester came top in West Sussex.

Bishop Luffa was also named as one of the top 200 schools in the country for exam results with an average score of 39.4 points.

Nationally, 74 per cent of pupils achieved the expected Level 5 standard in English and maths, 70 per cent in science and the average overall point score per pupil was 34.5.

Pupils at Cardinal Newman achieved an average 36.6 points. Headteacher Peter Evans said he was delighted but unsure whether the faith element was wholly responsible.

He said: "Our value structure is very strong but it is in any good school. It might just be coincidence the top three are faith schools."

Pupils at St Richard's College achieved an average point score of 37.6. Principal Tony Campbell said: "It's important to have a good academic record but league tables are certainly not the most important thing for us."

The Causeway School in Eastbourne and Tideway School in Newhaven were ranked in the bottom five per cent of schools for their value added scores of 96.6 and 97.4. Causeway head Alison Dearden said: "The school has experienced a huge amount of change in the last year. Our GCSE results were up 17 per cent in the summer and we expect Key Stage 3 results to go up this year too."

She said the school's position in the league tables no longer reflected its current situation. Tideway headteacher Adrian Money explained the school's results were affected by the fire which ravaged the school just three weeks before the pupils sat their exams.

He said: "We knew the results were quite appalling last year but for most pupils it was their first day back on the school site when everything was still smelling of smoke.

"I am sure the school's performance will be back to normal this year."

Falmer High School, Brighton, was listed in the bottom 200 schools in the country for exam results. Pupils' average point score was 30.

David Hawker, director of schools in Brighton and Hove, said: "You would expect that. The school provides a good education but it is struggling against the odds in terms of popularity and the catchment it serves. I would liketo see it doing better and that's why we are looking at making it a city academy."