Substantial rise in maintained schools’ GCSE results

ENGLAND – Schools minister Vernon Coaker has welcomed a substantial rise in maintained school pupils getting five A*-C GCSE grades, including English and maths.

The headline provisional 2008/09 GCSE figures show:

• 50.4 per cent of pupils in the maintained sector achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C, including English and maths, an increase of 2.1 percentage points (ppts) from last year;

• This is above trajectory to meet the government’s target of 53 per cent of maintained school pupils reaching the benchmark by 2011;

• Overall 49.7 per cent pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C including English and maths – an increase of 2.1 ppts from last year; the biggest every annual jump; and compares to an estimate* of 35.9 per cent in 1997;

• It means overall around 90,000 more pupils are achieving five A*-C including maths and English than 12 years ago;

• Overall 69.7 per cent of pupils overall achieved five GCSEs at grade A*-C. This is an increase of 4.4 ppts from last year and compared to 45.1 per cent of 15-year-olds in 1997**.

Mr Coaker said: “These are the best ever GCSE results with the biggest ever year-on-year improvement. Congratulations to all the pupils and teachers for their hard work.

“Standards have never been higher – certainly compared to a decade ago. A huge boost of 90,000 more young people since 1997 have that ticket of five good GCSEs including maths and English and are able to take the baton and move successfully to further education, training or work.”

*    The new PSA target is for end of KS4 rather than 15-year-olds. The figure for 1997 has been estimated assuming a constant trend in difference between end of KS4 and 15-year-old pupil performance.

**    Academic age used for reporting examinations and awards is the age at the start of the academic year. Please note Departmental targets are based on “age at the end of the academic year”. For the majority of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, this will be age 16. The end of Key Stage 4 signals the end of compulsory education. From 2005, the Secondary School Achievement and Attainment Tables reported examination results for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, rather than those aged 15. This shift to stage-based reporting removes any barriers to more flexible rates of learning.