IF Nigel Adkins can be sacked, there is only one man in British football whose job is safe.

And the irony is that at least half a dozen managers are just waiting for Sir Alex Ferguson to retire.

In the meantime, the Manchester United boss must now be the only boss who can sip his morning cuppa without concern about whether today is going to be the day when he is sacked.

Adkins had steered Southampton up through two divisions. He was close to really establishing the Saints in the top flight.

They had only lost two matches in 12 fixtures, for goodness sake. Yet still he was given the bullet.

If it was not for the Southampton fans, who you have to feel sorry for, you would almost want to see them fail, just as punishment for making such a stupid, misguided decision.

Chairman Nicola Cortese wielded the axe, before swiftly replacing Adkins with Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine does have a reasonable reputation in Spain, even if his previous job, at Espanyol, did not exactly go to plan.

But that is not the point. The fact is he should not have had a job to go to. It should still be Adkins in charge at Southampton.

When you look at some of the club owners now and the decisions they are prepared to make in search of instant success, it is truly disturbing.

So many of them are swayed by big names, rather than actual, solid achievements.

Adkins might have worked wonders, but you got the impression he was not a big enough name for them in the top flight.

At Blackburn, you have the Venky's, who have taken an established Premier League club and turned it into, well, a chaotic mess.

QPR, on a lesser scale, are going down a familiar route. What will happen to them, if they are relegated? How will they fund their wage bill in the Championship? You suspect it might be a struggle.

Ask Portsmouth, because they have been down a similar path. It is one that, in the near future, could lead them into League Two.

Forest, of course, are going through what looks to be a period of chaotic activity of their own, in recent weeks.

Hopefully things will settle down quickly.

And the key difference at the City Ground is that, in Alex McLeish, they have appointed a man who has been there and done it, when it comes to getting teams out of the Championship.

But, if he doesn't, he will certainly remain among the vast ranks of managers who will continue to nervously munch their corn flakes every morning.

PEOPLE are being advised to build snowmen, as one way to stop their homes from being flooded when the snow starts to melt.

The advice came from an exert at the Environment Agency, who says snowmen melt more slowly than snow on the ground, so building them would help to prevent floods as the snow started to melt.

Weather forecasters are predicting a sudden thaw this weekend, with temperatures set to soar from minus figures up to around 13°C.

This has led to fears of severe flooding in many parts of the country.

But the Environment Agency said Brits could help slow the rate of the sudden thaw by building snowmen in their gardens and on driveways.

Spokesman Roy Stokes, flood and coastal risk management programme manager for Notts, said the snow in snowmen was more compacted, causing it to melt more slowly. "Ideally, if everybody built themselves a snowman, that will slow the thaw down a bit," he said.

"If you notice, when people clear their drive the snow thaws away but the compacted piles stay – which will give a balanced thaw, which would be helpful. We would rather it be a gradual thaw than a really quick one. If it does melt too quickly, we are likely to see a few flood alerts."

Dr Simon Keeling, forecaster at weatherweb.co.uk, warned that localised flooding was likely following the thaw.

He said: "There is going to be a big swing in temperatures, from as low as -13°C on Friday night to 13°C on Tuesday.

"It will be really noticeable, and, as the majority of England, Scotland and Wales is under a layer of snow, there will be a lot of standing water around. There is likely to be localised flooding and driving conditions will not be good.

"We are going to see a rise in temperatures next week, followed by a cold spell, but nothing like the recent freeze."

E-mail your snowman pictures to newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

A RAPIST has been jailed for five years after attacking a woman in her own home.

Simon Williams, 34, of Ewart Road, Forest Fields, was found guilty after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

He denied raping the woman in her kitchen, claiming the sex was consensual. But a jury dismissed his claims and convicted him.

A judge has now sent him to jail for five years and put him on the sex offenders' register for life.

The court heard that the rape took place after Williams had been talking to the woman, who cannot be identified, at her home. He tried to hug her but she pushed him away and said "no" repeatedly as she sat on a worktop.

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said: "He pulled her off the worktop and started to pull her leggings down. She resisted, trying to pull them up again. She ended up on the floor but he eventually overpowered her. She told him to stop but he didn't. He continued, knowing it was against her will, knowing what he was doing was wrong."

After he left, she locked all the doors and windows and called a friend a few doors away.

"She was hysterical and struggling to articulate what happened to her," explained Mr Kemp.

Police were contacted about the rape by the woman's family. She was taken to Nottingham's Topaz Centre, where victims of rape and sexual assault receive specialist support and undergo a medical examination.

Williams was arrested two days later. He said he had a kiss and cuddle with the woman, after they had been talking in the kitchen, and "one thing led to another".

He said they became intimate but ten seconds later she told him to stop and he did.

However, Mr Kemp said the woman had made it "abundantly clear" she did not want sex with him that night and did not consent.

For advice about rape, call the Topaz Centre (Notts Sexual Assault Referral Centre) on 0845 600 15 88 or Nottingham Rape Crisis on 0115 941 0440.

MCDONALD'S is set to create 165 new jobs in Nottingham this year.

The fast-food chain made the announcement yesterday as mew figures showed 13,460 16-60-year-olds in the city are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance – 3,690 of them aged between 18 and 24.

Wayne Jenkins, 34, of Radford, welcomed the news. He has been looking for work for three weeks after completing several temporary contracts.

"This is fantastic," he said. "It's really hard to find work at the moment. There is just nothing out there.

"A job at McDonald's isn't the best vacancy I could hope for, but a job's a job.

"As long as it pays my bills, I'll do it."

David Thompson, 24, of Mapperley, has been unemployed for a year and said he would jump at the chance to work at McDonald's.

"This is brilliant news for Nottingham.

"I would apply as soon as the jobs are there. I know McDonald's offers really flexible working hours, which is great."

Last year, 70 per cent of new positions at McDonald's were given to people under 21, which is why Trevor Tattersall, 42, of Aspley, was not so excited about the announced opportunities.

"I've been looking for work for a while and I've worked at McDonald's before, more than 20 years ago.

"I really enjoyed my work and the managers would work around the young people's schedules if they were going to college or university.

"But I would not want to go back. I'd feel out of place with all those young people."

McDonald's also offers all employees access to nationally-recognised qualifications. Staff have the opportunity to gain anything from certificates in maths and English to apprenticeships, while a foundation degree is offered to restaurant managers.

Jerry Nicholls, who owns five of the chain's restaurants across Nottingham, said: "In 2012, we added some fantastic crew from the local community to our team, many of whom were starting out in their first job and may otherwise not have had the opportunity to join the world of work.

"As a local employer, I believe it's important for all those who can, to continue giving young people, in particular, the chance to get workplace experience."

Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, also welcomed the announcement.

He said: "A highly-skilled workforce is an important part of any growing business. That's why I am pleased to see how McDonald's is providing training and apprenticeships in a range of skills."

To find out more about the job vacancies and training opportunities that McDonald's offers, or to download a prospectus, visit mcdonalds. co.uk/people.

SIXTH-FORMERS have been going suba-diving to help with their science lessons.

A group of year 13 chemistry students at Colonel Frank Seely school, in Calverton, took part in two scuba-diving sessions at Beechdale Baths to learn more about water pressure and gases.

The sessions were organised by chemistry teacher Dimitri Hautot, who enjoys scuba-diving in his spare time.

"Teachers are always looking for ways to inspire students," he said.

"We designed a suitable activity of combining a dive for our students with three short scientific experiments, which took place underwater.

"The students had studied the topics in class. However, their involvement in the experiments gave them a true understanding of the effect of pressure on gases. The trip was a real success and we will be running it again next year."

During the two sessions in the 4m deep diving tank, the students were given the chance to understand how gases work through several experiments, including playing Frisbee underwater and watching the effect of pressure on a balloon.

They also used the "ideal gas law", which they had learnt about in class, to calculate the depth of the swimming pool.

Sixth-former Henry Lander, 17, of Mapperley, said the scuba sessions really helped him with his studies. He is planing to go on to study physics at university.

"The sessions were really fun and very different to a normal lesson," he said. "I learnt a lot about how pressure changes under water, which put the principles into practice in my mind.

"I've never been scuba-diving before. It was good to see how pressure works in real life instead of just being told about it in the classroom."

Classmate Cameron Turner, 17, of Calverton, agreed and said the sessions should become part of more science lessons. He said: "It was a great experience. The equations don't usually stick in my mind straight away but seeing them in practice really helps when you can have a go at it yourself.

"We saw how the different pressures worked at different depths and the volume it occupies. I definitely think other schools should try and incorporate scuba-diving in science lessons if they can."

MPs and residents have hit back after Health Minister Anna Soubry suggested you can tell a person's background from their weight.

The Tory MP for Broxtowe's comments were reported in a national newspaper as she referred to obesity in deprived areas as a "heartbreaking fact" and identified junk food as part of the problem.

Ms Soubry has recently launched the Be Food Smart campaign, which seeks to expose the "hidden nasties" – particularly sugar, salt and fat – in everyday foods.

But Chris Leslie, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said: "I don't think it's right to say you can tell who is poor or deprived by looking at them.

"A lot of people will have been taken aback by the stark nature of her comments."

He added: "While it is true that obesity does tend to affect those who are more deprived in society, we have to be very careful of overstepping a line and making quite sweeping generalisations or statements that might seem prejudiced against certain groups in society.

"I'm left wondering what exactly Government policy is? Is it simply to lecture people who are less well off to try harder?"

Lillian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South, said: "These comments will be seen as insensitive by many people in Nottingham, and especially by people who are increasingly reliant on food banks to get by.

"Of course there is a known link between poverty and obesity.

But this Government is making the problem worse by removing nutritional standards from our schools and failing to act on high salt and sugar levels in food."

Ms Soubry was reported in the Daily Telegraph as saying she could almost tell the background of a person by their weight.

She added: "Obviously, not everybody who is overweight comes from deprived backgrounds but that's where the propensity lies."

The MP said it was "heartbreaking" that some of the most deprived people were not getting the right nutrition, but that it was mainly down to an abundance of bad food.

Matt Goold, of Meadow Lane, Beeston said the comments were "ridiculous".

The 39-year-old added: "How does she know this? It's just a stereotypical assumption. It's absolute rubbish.

"She says people don't sit around the table – a lot of people cant afford a table for a start."

Richard Oldham, 40, of Field Lane, Beeston said the comments were "nonsensical", adding: "It is difficult to eat well on low money."

The Post contacted Anna Soubry to speak about the issue but did not hear back.

I KNOW that, when I turn up for a game, even if it is only the occasional visit, I will be given a warm welcome.

Both the club staff and the coaching staff are always happy to see you; always treat you with respect.

Even the fans are a friendly bunch, who will engage you in a little cheeky banter about the old days.

What might surprise you is that I am talking about Derby County, the arch-rivals of the club that I spent the majority of my career playing for.

Unfortunately, when it comes to that club, the story is not quite the same.

Because I get a warmer welcome at Derby than I do at Nottingham Forest.

Which is why I was not surprised to see Frank Clark treated so shabbily.

In the case of the club's new owners, you would like to presume it is simple naivety; that they do not know any better.

But it has been a familiar tale for more than a decade.

Ex-players have not been treated well by Forest for a long time. You are made to feel like a nuisance.

Go to Manchester United, Liverpool, West Brom, Leeds . . . virtually any club across the country and you will see a host of former players at the club on a match day.

They are invited to games; they are embraced as part of the club's history.

Talk to many of Forest's former players and they will tell you the same thing. You can actually feel uncomfortable going back to the City Ground.

Not welcomed, not wanted . . . just tolerated, almost.

Frequently, since their arrival from Kuwait, the Al Hasawi's have spoken about wanting to restore the former glories of the Brian Clough era.

They say they would take great pride in steering the club back into the top flight.

There is nothing I would like to see more. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Forest win promotion under Alex McLeish.

And now is the time to look forward, rather than backwards.

You don't have to be obsessed with the past.

But that does not mean you should ignore it; that you should show it so little respect.

Frank Clark is a gentleman. He is somebody who has dedicated a large part of his career to helping Forest be a success, as a player, a manager, a chairman and, most recently, as a club ambassador.

So he deserved better than to be told his contribution is no longer required by letter.

He deserved better than being put on gardening leave – a legal side effect of which is that he cannot legally go to the City Ground on a match day or any other day.

As I said, I hope it is naivety from the new owners; I hope that it is a careless decision; one made without thought given to the consequences.

I'll be honest. I can accept the decision to part company with Mark Arthur, the chief executive.

A new broom sweeps clean and when new owners came in, it was always likely that they would have their own ideas about running the club.

I can even understand that, for similar reasons, there is a certain logic to moving on Keith Burt, the head of recruitment.

Although I have to say the timing of it all is utter madness.

As is the fact that it seems McLeish, the manager of the club, was not briefed or asked his opinion over massive decisions that will hugely influence his job.

Now, with seven days to go until the end of the transfer window, the three or four major additions that McLeish craved have thus far not arrived.

That can be explained away by the simple nature of the January transfer window, the balance of which is tipped entirely in the favour of the selling club.

If you have a player who is in demand, you are always going to leave it until the last possible moment, in an effort to get the best deal for him.

But the situation off the pitch at Forest cannot have helped hugely. And not just because they have parted company with the two main figures involved in player recruitment.

Look at it this way. If you were a player and you had the chance to join different two clubs; one of those has just sacked their manager, at a time when his side was a point off the play-off places, then dispensed of their chief executive and head of recruitment, along with a club favourite and stalwart.

The other club, well, hasn't. They are stable and free from controversy.

Which would you join, if the money being offered from both clubs was similar?

I am sure the decisions from the Al Hasawi family have been made with good intentions.

I'll even give them the benefit of the doubt and trust that they did not realise the fallout that would follow their clumsy handling of their attempts to move Clark on.

They are foreign owners who are probably still coming to terms with the nuances of British football and, in particular, Nottingham Forest.

But, if they do genuinely want to restore the glories of the Clough era, then hopefully they will realise that it is also important to embrace the past.

ENOCH Showunmi says he is the striker to fire Notts County back into the promotion race in League One.

The Magpies are still hoping to bolster their strike-force for the final push for the top six.

But after finally scoring his first league goal for the club in a 1-0 win against Oldham Athletic at Meadow Lane on Tuesday night, Showunmi believes he can hit the goal trail.

"It felt good to get off the mark – hopefully it is the first of many," he said.

"It was great to get 80-odd minutes under my belt as well. I'm not match fit yet, but with more games the Notts fans will see the best of me."

Showunmi insists he has never suffered a crisis of confidence since joining Notts last summer – even though it has taken him five months to get off the mark in the league.

"There has never been a lack of faith in my ability even though I haven't been playing," he added. "I've kept myself right and kept plugging away in training just waiting for my chance and hopefully I can push on from here."

He struck in the first half against the Latics, tapping Jamal Campbell-Ryce's cross into an empty net.

"If I can get a few more easy chances like that I will be very happy," he said.

"I was so desperate to get that first goal that even if Jamal's cross had been going in I would have stolen it and tapped it in.

"I feel like I did reasonably well in the game. I'm here to play and score goals – so hopefully I will get that chance now.

"I suppose if we bring in another striker we will have more options, but if I can keep scoring goals the gaffer will have no reason to drop me."

Showunmi's goal inspired Notts to their first home league win in two months and back into the top half of the table ahead of a trip to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

THE family of a Notts engineer killed in Algeria say he will be "eternally missed" and "forever in our hearts".

Sebastian John, of Eskdale Court, Gamston, was a civil engineer for BP and had been in Algeria for only a week when the In Amenas plant was overrun by heavily-armed terrorists.

A four-day stand-off started with an attempted bus hijacking and ended when special forces stormed in as the attackers began to prepare to explode bombs across the massive gas plant.

Mr John, 26, was formerly chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers' (ICE) East Midlands Graduates and Students Committee, based in Triumph Road, Nottingham.

He leaves wife Nicola and a seven-month-old baby.

Mrs John said: "Sebastian was the most amazing person.

"He was a fantastic husband, father, son and brother. There won't be a moment that goes by where we won't think of him.

"We are so proud of Sebastian for all he achieved in his life.

"He was taken away from us too early and in the most tragic circumstances. We will always love him. He will be forever in our hearts and eternally missed."

Thirty-seven foreign workers are believed to have died at the remote desert facility – part-operated by BP – which was attacked on January 16. It is believed al-Qaeda-linked terrorists were behind the attack, which lasted for four days before Algerian special forces intervened.

Colleagues have paid tribute to Mr John, who worked for Ove Arup, in Solihull, before taking up his role at BP.

Nick Baveystock, director general of ICE, said: "We were extremely shocked and saddened to hear that Sebastian John, a valued and respected civil engineer and member of our Institution, has lost his life during the Algerian hostage attack."

Past ICE president Richard Coackley, for whom Mr John worked as an apprentice, said: "Sebastian was a talented young civil engineer with the world at his feet.

"His mild-mannered, supportive nature made him a pleasure to be around and his commitment and passion for his work and his young family shone through in all that he did. It was an absolute honour and a pleasure to have him as my apprentice last year and I know he will be greatly missed by all.

"I join everyone in mourning with Sebastian's family and friends for the tragic loss of a great young man and civil engineer."

Robert Care, director of the Arup Group, added: "He was hugely respected by his colleagues and had a very bright future ahead of him."

NOTTINGHAM Forest hope to complete the signing of striker Darius Henderson within the next 24 hours.

And Dexter Blackstock could also put pen to paper on a new deal today.

Reds boss Alex McLeish hopes to bolster his front line with 31-year-old Henderson, who Millwall are willing to release on a free transfer.

Henderson, who has netted seven goals this season, is one of the higher earners at the New Den – and is also out of contract in the summer.

Lions boss Kenny Jackett signed former Red Nathan Tyson on loan from Derby last week and, while Tyson has already collected an injury, he is willing to let Henderson move to the City Ground.

It is likely the former Reading, Gillingham, Watford and Sheffield United player would sign a short-term deal, possibly until the end of the season, with a view to securing a longer contact if he impresses.

He is likely to have a medical in Nottingham today.

Henderson, who is facing charges of grievous bodily harm without intent at St Albans Crown Court on March 5, could line up against Watford this weekend, if he recovers from a minor foot problem.

Henderson, a hard-working, strong, physical forward, has scored 110 goals in 271 starts and 120 sub appearances during spells with seven clubs.

In the meantime, Forest's interest in Marcos Alonso may be short-lived, with the Bolton defender close to agreeing a move to Fiorentina.

The Italian club have offered the 22-year-old a contract and will sign him on a Bosman free transfer in the summer, if the left back agrees to the move.

Forest have not yet returned with a fresh bid for either Birmingham winger Chris Burke or attacking midfielder George Boyd of Peterborough.

Both men are out of contract in the summer, when they would be available for nothing.

But Forest are close to reaching an agreement with striker Blackstock over a new contract.

He is expected to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal following negotiations yesterday.

And McLeish hopes that, in the meantime, all the players who are out of contract, which include Radi Majewski and Lewis McGugan, will respond positively to the situation.

"There have been talks with one or two and it is something we need to get to grips with in the next month or two," said McLeish. "When the window closes we might expect something to be done.

"Although most of the players will be settled down in their heads.

"With 17 or 18 games to go, I'd hope they would be thinking 'right, let's show the manager and fans what I can really do here, to earn a new deal'."

Lee Camp has been released from his Forest contract and will join Norwich.

Stonebridge City Farm in St Ann's was the venue for a successful 5 hour public consultation exercise on Thursday when representatives from Developer Keepmoat Homes Ltd exhibited their pristine £11m plans for the Stonebridge Park Estate.

Charlotte Wood, Trainee Graphic Design/Bid Co-ordinator at Keepmoat Homes set up the presentation.

Keepmoat Homes submitted a planning application on 24th December to build 110 new houses in the Jersey Gardens & Flewitt Gardens area of the estate, after successfully bidding for almost £800,000 kick start funding from the government's Homes & Communities Agency in 2012.

Keepmoat Homes Ltd are also working on plans to build a number of new housing on the site of the former Kings Thorpe flats complex in Mapperley.

The Regional Development Manager of Keepmoat Homes Ltd, Peter Shambrook, said today "Our development plans have been technically challenging because of the different levels of the site, and we are very pleased with the proposals that we have come up with.

"We had the original 2009 Master Plan drawn up by the City Council five years ago which we used as a frame work, and in just 6 months we were able put together our plans."

Peter then shown me copies of the proposals saying that the long footpath linking Melville Gardens with Jersey Gardens Road would disappear altogether, and that the adjacent 3.5m steep drop to the lower land would be landscaped to build up the ground making the area look nicer.

This would also be the case with land either side of Jersey Gardens Road leading into the estate from St Matthias Road.

A 1.8m wooden fence would also be introduced around all of the new homes on the upper level of Jersey Gardens adjacent St Matthias Road, to make them safe for new families with children set to move in after completion in 2015.

Zahicik Khan of BMK Architecture, who designed the scheme, added "All of the new houses are of a modern counterparty design and they take into account the layout of the landscape, a small number of which overlooks Rocket Park. We think that new young families will be pleased with them and they will be very popular."

Zahick then shown me the housing layout, and the different house designs along with external cladding finishes.

Keepmoat Homes Ltd will be constructing all of the 110 new houses themselves, and intend to take on a number of local apprentices, as well as providing employment for local people.

Meanwhile the ASRA Housing group have just been given planning permission to build 15 new social houses in Limmen Gardens; work will begin here in the spring.

Housing Development Manager Debra Ross from Nottingham City Council, said today that she was already applying for funding to provide off road parking areas, perimeter iron railings, and rear wooden fences for the original properties in Limmen Gardens.

"Eventually we aim to provide these external improvements around the whole of the Stonebridge Park estate, although it can only be done in phases as the funding becomes available," she said.

The plans may be viewed on the City Council's Planning website using the Ref 12/03501/PFUL3.

DURING childbirth the focus has always been on mum and baby, but in Nottingham's hospitals fathers are not being forgotten.

The hospitals' trust has received a £180,000 grant for its maternity units, and plans to spend some of the money on comfy reclining chairs for the dads-to-be.

Alison Atkinson, clinical lead for maternity at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said it was important to focus on the whole family during births, and the environment was a major factor.

She said: "The new recliners will allow dads to sit comfortably – and even sleep overnight if the mum-to-be is having a long labour.

"The aim is to ensure fathers are considered as part of the overall holistic care we offer our women and that by meeting the needs of both parents we can ensure that the birth experience is a happy one."

Around 10,000 babies are born each year at maternity units at the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital – which currently only have three birthing pools.

The trust is buying 32 reclining chairs, following feedback from new mums, who said the needs of their partners had an impact on their own anxiety.

Ms Atkinson said: "The creation of a less clinical environment will make everyone more relaxed."

But father-to-be Will Jeffrey, 30, of Sherwood, disagreed, and thought the money could be better spent.

He said: "Surely it's a bit of waste is it not? I don't expect to be able to sit down; it's all about the woman."

Mr Jeffrey, who is expecting the arrival of his first child on March 2, added: "A plastic chair will be fine."

The remaining cash – which has been given to the trust by the Department of Health – will also buy three new birthing pools, and pay for new stained glass windows to be fitted in labour suites, which the hospital said would allow "natural light to filter through in different colours to provide a calmer environment".

Ms Atkinson said: "The availability of an increased number of birthing pools will also allow NUH to offer more choice in where women can have their babies."

The trust has an annual income of £781 million and approximately 1,700 beds. The hospitals need to save £33 million in 2012-13 and £30 million in 2013-14 in order to meet Government cuts in its budget.

NOTTINGHAM has fallen down the national rankings for its performance in A-levels.

The average point score of the students who sat exams in the summer of 2012 was 719.1.

This left the city in 55th place of the 147 local education authorities where the exams were taken.

In 2011, the city was in 28th position, with an average score of 746.1. In 2009, it reached 14th in the country.

Councillor David Mellen, portfolio holder for children's services at the city council, has said the authority is pleased with its results for post-16 education, as well as for GCSEs.

He previously expressed an ambition to continue to drive up the already high A-level standards in the city.

He said: "Schools and colleges in the city are able to attract top students. We hope to be able to continue this in the future."

The results were made up of both schools and colleges, with schools tending to pick up the better results.

The exception to this was Bilborough College, where the average point score was 853.8. Only the boys' and girls' high schools picked up better results than the college.

Point scores are based on the grades students obtain.

For example, an A is worth 270 points, a B is 240 and a C is 210.

Unlike GCSE results, the city out-performed the county at A-levels, a trend which has become familiar over recent years.

The county's average point score per student was 694, down from 727.2 in 2011.

However, the county moved up the league table, from 90th in 2011 to 85th last year.

Becket School, West Bridgford School and George Spencer Academy were among the top performers at A-level, with average scores of 1,036.9, 986.1 and 884.2 respectively.

Councillor Philip Owen, Notts County Council committee chairman for children and young people's services, said: "We still have a lot to do in order to improve our national standing.

"At some schools, for example, there have already been some big gains in the percentage of students achieving higher grades.

"Up until 18 months ago, it was the Learning and Skills Council which was responsible for A-level standards rather than the county council. I'm confident though that with the ongoing programme of academy conversions, the input of external academy sponsors and our partnering of strong schools with weaker ones, we will continue to drive up standards further."

THE percentage of children reaching the benchmark for GCSE results across the country increased marginally in the summer of 2012.

Department for Education figures revealed that 59.4 per cent of students picked up five grades between A* and C including English and maths – up from 59 per cent in 2011 and 53 per cent in 2010. However, the proportion of students achieving five A* to C grades in any subjects did fall.

The release of exam results back in August sparked controversy over the way English papers had been marked.

Thousands of students got lower-than-expected grades because of tougher boundaries – there was a 1.5 per cent fall in the proportion of students getting a C or above.

It led to calls for students to be allowed to sit the exams again.

However an investigation by exams watchdog Ofqual found the new boundaries were justified as they believed in some cases teachers had inflated students' coursework marks.

According to the figures, the area of the UK with the highest proportion of students reaching the benchmark was the Isles of Scilly, with 86.4 per cent, while 79.6 per cent did so in Kensington and Chelsea in London.

The worst-performing area, which was Knowsley in Lancashire, where 40.9 per cent reached the grade.