Oxfordshire schools are to face tough new GCSE targets following the county's poor showing in national exam tables.

Oxfordshire County Council is close to an agreement with the Government that anticipates a big improvement in the performance of the county's secondary schools.

Last week's figures showed only 51.3 per cent of children in Oxfordshire state schools achieved the benchmark five GCSEs at grade C or better, compared with 65 per cent in Buckinghamshire, 61.2 per cent in Gloucestershire and 54 per cent in Wiltshire.

But the county council this week provisionally agreed a target of raising the proportion of pupils passing at least five GCSEs at grades A to C to 58 per cent by 2005.

County council leaders said teaching and school management were to blame for schools lagging behind less well-funded schools in neighbouring counties.

Secondary heads, however, pointed to the fact that focus on Key Stage Three (for 14-year-olds) had produced major improvements.

But the ambitious target agreed with the Department for Education will leave no one in doubt that GCSEs should be regarded as the immediate test of both the local education authority and teaching success.

Richard Bysouth, chairman of Oxfordshire Secondary School Headteachers' Association, said: "In response to central Government initiatives, secondary schools have been placing great emphasis on KS3 and it is very pleasing that Oxfordshire produced the greatest improvement in these results of any shire county."

The LEA has established a secondary school action group involving officers, headteachers and the county council's executive member for schools to co-ordinate efforts.

Explanations for Oxfordshire's poor showing have been remarkably varied.

County council leader Keith Mitchell said the issue of school leadership needed to be addressed, while the NUT pointed to staff shortages. Independent schools 'creaming off' the most able pupils has also been cited.