Glasgow Gaelic School has dropped ten places in a league table measuring attainment in a year in which results were estimated.

The school was ranked 18th in Scotland for the number of pupils who achieved five or more highers last year, when exams did not take place due to the pandemic.

The Gaelic secondary, which takes pupils from all over the city, saw 65% of pupils achieve the standard but retained its position as Glasgow's top performing state school.

Sgoil Ghàidlig Ghlaschu, was ranked eighth in 2019 with 70% of pupils gaining five or more highers.

READ MORE: The Glasgow teacher who has led Gaelic medium education surge

Jordanhill School retained the top position in The Times school league tables. The independent school saw 86 per cent of pupils achieve Nicola Sturgeon's 'gold standard' of five or more highers.

It was a slight reduction from the 88 per cent who achieved those grades in 2019.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council described league tables as"demoralising" for pupils and staff and said they did not give a true picture of the achievements of a school because they are based on only one indicator.

She said the drop at Glasgow Gaelic School may be down to fluctuations within a small group.

Since relying on teacher estimates, the average proportion of pupils achieving the gold standard rose throughout Scotland from 36 per cent in 2019 to 40% in 2020.

A number of schools have jumped several places in the league table.

Gryffe High, in Renfrewshire, went from eighth places to joint second with St Ninian's in East Renfrewshire, which was fourth last year.

READ MORE: Parents veto controversion Jordanhill School catchment plan

Both schools saw 80% of pupils achieve five or more highers - the first time that either school has attained this level in at least five years.

Dunblane High retained fourth place in Scotland's top ten and it was followed by Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire, Cults Academy in Aberdeen, Williamwood High School in East Ren, Bearsden Academy, Boroughmuire High School in Edinburgh and Bishopbriggs Academy.

The vast majority of the highest achieving schools are in Scotland's most affluent neigbourhoods.

More than two thirds of pupils at Jordanhill, are in the least deprived category of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), which divides neighbourhoods into five categories based on average income, employment, health, access to services, crime and housing. The higher percentages ranged from 12% to 86%.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “League tables are demoralising for pupils and staff – and especially when our schools have been through so much this year - as they look at only one indicator which does not show the true depth and breadth of a school and their pupils’ achievements.”

Tens of thousands of school pupils had their exam results upgraded after the Scottish government agreed to accept teacher estimates of scores.

READ MORE: Education secretary faces vote of no confidence after exam results chaos 

The government U-turn followed an outcry from pupils after a moderation system saw 125,000 estimated results being downgraded.

There had been claims that the moderation system unfairly penalised pupils at schools which had historically not performed as well.

Many pupils said they had been given lower grades than they had achieved in prelim exams at the start of the year.

Education Secretary John Swinney said he was sorry for the "feeling of unfairness" caused by the downgrading, adding that it was "deeply regrettable we got this wrong".

Mr Swinney and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had both previously argued that basing grades on teacher estimates alone would damage the credibility of this year's results compared to previous years.

The top 10 schools in the league table: 

1. Jordanhill School

2. St Ninian’s High School

3. Gryffe High School

4. Dunblane High School

5. Mearns Castle High School

6. Bearsden Academy

7. Boroughmuir High School

8. Williamwood High School

9. Cults Academy

10. Bishopbriggs Academy