Schools across York and North and East Yorkshire have been given thousands of pounds to reward their hard work.

The Government has awarded £5,000 for a typical primary school and £25,000 for a typical secondary to schools across the region.

The improvement awards reward staff in schools where pupils' exam results in national tests at GCSEs went up the most between 1997 and 2000.

The excellence awards are based on ranking schools' summer exam results from last year, worked out against the proportion of children eligible for free school meals.

Awards for special schools, pupil referral units and very small primary schools were given after recommendations from council education chiefs and headteachers were checked out by independent assessors.

Announcing the awards, David Blunkett, education secretary, said: "Schools succeed through a combination of good leadership, good teaching and teamwork by all staff. The purpose of these awards is to reward these teams and to encourage schools to strive for further improvement."

The schools which won awards in York and North Yorkshire included:

York: Archbishop Holgate's CE School (improvement), Archbishop of York's CE Junior School, Bishopthorpe (improvement), Derwent Infant School (improvement), Derwent Junior School (improvement), English Martyrs' RC Primary (excellence), Fulford Cross School (improvement), Hob Moor Infant School (improvement), Lidgett Grove School (excellence), Millthorpe School (improvement), Our Lady's RC Primary, Acomb (improvement), Poppleton Road Primary (improvement), Rawcliffe Infant School (improvement), St Lawrence's CE Primary (excellence), St George's RC Primary (improvement), St Wilfrid's RC Primary (improvement), Secondary Pupil Support Centre (excellence), Shipton Street Infant School (improvement), Skelton Primary (excellence), Tang Hall Primary (improvement).

North Yorkshire: All Saints CE School, Kirby Overblow (excellence), Applegarth Primary (improvement), Appleton Roebuck Primary (excellence), Barton CE Primary (excellence), Bishop Monkton CE Primary (improvement), Brompton and Sawdon Community Primary (excellence), Brompton Community Primary (improvement), Bullamoor Junior School (improvement), Burneston CE Primary (improvement), Caedmon School (excellence), Carlton Endowed School (improvement), Carlton Miniott Community Primary (improvement), Cliffe Primary School (improvement), Crayke CE Primary (excellence), Dishforth Airfield Community Primary (excellence), Easingwold Community Primary (improvement), Easingwold School (improvement), East Ayton Community Primary (improvement), Escrick CE Primary (excellence), Filey School (improvement), Follifoot CE Primary (excellence), Forest of Galtres Anglican/Methodist Primary (excellence), Foston CE Primary (excellence), Gargrave CE Primary (improvement), Graham School (improvement), Bilton Grange Community Primary (improvement), Helmsley Community Primary (improvement), Hemingbrough Community Primary (excellence), King James's School, Knaresborough (improvement), Kirkbymoorside Community Primary (improvement), Knaresborough, The Manor Infant School (excellence), Long Marston CE Primary (excellence), Malton School (improvement), Marton-cum-Grafton CE Voluntary Aided Primary (excellence), Nawton Community Primary excellence), Nun Monkton Primary (excellence), Richard Taylor CE Primary (excellence), Rillington Community Primary (excellence), Roecliffe CE Primary (excellence), Romanby Primary (improvement), Sheriff Hutton Primary (excellence), South Otterington CE Voluntary Controlled Primary (improvement), St Aidan's CE High School (excellence), St Francis Xavier School (improvement), Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe CE School (excellence), Tadcaster East Community Primary (improvement), Tadcaster Riverside Community Primary (excellence), The Ripley Endowed CE School (excellence), Thirsk Community Primary (improvement), Topcliffe CE Voluntary Controlled Primary (improvement), Whitley & Eggborough Community Primary (improvement), Wistow Parochial CE Primary (improvement).