Hull is uniting to improve educational achievement across the city.

Education officials, civic leaders, businesses, health organisations, sports clubs and charities are uniting in a bid to end the poor academic achievement which has blighted schools for years.

They have all taken part in the official launch of a set of eight ambitious pledges, which include more than half of pupils achieving A* to C grades in English and maths GCSEs by 2012.

This year, 36.5 per cent of students achieved the Government's standards, placing the city second from bottom in the national league tables.

It was an improvement on last year's total of 29.6 per cent, which left the authority rock bottom.

At the launch event at the Guildhall, in Hull city centre, Christine Randall, portfolio holder for education, said: "We need the help and support of everyone in the city.

"To make a real difference we need to change attitudes and to raise the aspirations of everyone in this city and to do that we all need to do it together, to make Hull a better place for generations.

"To make this happen we all need to play our part.

Among those to sign up to the pledges are Hull City manager Phil Brown, creative director at Hull Truck Theatre, John Godber, Mail editor John Meehan, the University's of Hull's dean of the Institute of Learning, Dina Lewis, and chair of governors at Andrew Marvel School, Barry Jacobs.