PARENTS and pupils alike will be scanning the league tables tonight to see how their school has performed - and politicians, headteachers and commentators will again argue over the merits of a system that sets school against school.

But behind all the celebration and complaint, pupils and teachers are working hard every day.

The statistics may grab the headlines but we should not lose sight of the humanity that goes into education, the dedicated teachers and the hard-working children wrapped up in these league tables.

Updated: 12:00 Thursday, January 23, 2003