South West students open their GCSE results

Thousands of teenagers up and down the region have been waiting months to find out their grades

Students receiving their GCSEs
Author: Oliver Morgan & Eleanor Busby, Alison Kershaw and Ian Jones, PAPublished 22nd Aug 2024
Last updated 22nd Aug 2024

It's an exciting day for students here in the West Country, as thousands of teenagers reflect on the past two years of studying - as they open their GCSE results.

The South West of England lags slightly behind the national average in terms of the number of entries getting the top grades, but actually, these numbers are up when compared to levels seen before the pandemic.

Nationally, the proportion of GCSE entries awarded top grades has fallen from last year but is higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many of the pupils were in Year 7 when schools closed due to Coronavirus.

More than a fifth (21.8%) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades - at least a 7 or an A grade - this year, down 0.2 percentage points on last year when 22.0% of entries achieved the top grades.

This is higher than the equivalent figure for 2019 - before the pandemic disrupted schooling - of 20.8%.

The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover GCSE entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The proportion of entries getting at least a 4 or a C grade - considered a "standard pass" - has fallen from 68.2% in 2023 to 67.6% this year - a drop of 0.6 percentage points, but higher than 67.3% in 2019.

The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9%, down from 98.0% in 2023 and 98.3% in 2019.

The South West

Here in the South West - it's a very positive picture, with the proportion of entries being awarded the top grades has actually gone up.

Regionally, 21.2% returned a 7 (A) or above - which compares to 20.8% last year, and is a remarkable gain on pre-pandemic levels, when 20.4% received the top grades back in 2019.

It's a similar picture for those students opening their results with a 4 (C) or above.

Compared with pre-pandemic levels, in 2019, when 68.3% of entries in our part of the world passed - 69.1% received a C/4 grade this time round.

Figures from JCQ show that London and the South East remain ahead in top grades compared to other regions of England, with more than a quarter of entries scoring at least a grade 7 (London 28.5%, South East 24.7%).

At the other end of the table, the North East has the lowest proportion, with 17.8% of entries scoring at least a grade 7.

Some of the schools in the South West to return an impressive set of results were connected to Swindon's Park Academies Trust.

James Nicholson, Interim CEO, The Park Academies Trust said: “Congratulations to all our pupils and staff for achieving a fantastic set of GCSE results. Their determination and dedication shine through the impressive results we’re seeing across The Park Academies Trust. I’m delighted to see staff, students and families feeling so proud of everyone’s achievements.”

Gary Pearson, Principal, Lydiard Park Academy, said: “It’s wonderful to see so many great results, in all subjects, which are a testament to the excellent standard of teaching we are so proud of, but most importantly to the commitment of our students to do their very best. We’re very proud to say our students have achieved our best ever result in the number of pupils achieving 5+ in GCSE English and Maths. Staff at Lydiard Park Academy have once again gone above and beyond to ensure our students have been well looked after - with a particular focus on their wellbeing alongside our commitment to high educational standards”.

Jon Young, Abbey Park School Principal said: “It’s such a pleasure to be celebrating the excellent examination results with our pupils. We are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved thanks to the determination and resilience they have shown throughout their education at Abbey Park School. The dedication and support of our staff and parents has been instrumental in helping them achieve their full potential and we wish them every success in their next steps.”

Andy Steele, Headteacher, Highworth Warneford School, said: “I am delighted that our students at Highworth Warneford have yet again gained a fantastic set of exam results. They have worked incredibly hard and I know they will go on to achieve amazing things in the future. Congratulations to them all and thank you to the whole school community, including staff and parents, for supporting them to do so well.”

The national picture

In England, exams regulator Ofqual said it expected this year's national results to be "broadly similar" to last summer, when grades were brought back in line with pre-pandemic levels.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators aimed to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer - a year later than in England.

It comes after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE and A-level grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.

But last week, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades rose on last year and surpassed pre-pandemic highs.

According to figures from Ofqual, the number of 16-year-old students in England who received a 9 - the highest grade under the numerical grading system - in all their subjects has risen on last year.

Some 1,270 16-year-olds in England taking at least seven GCSEs achieved a grade 9 in all their subjects, compared with 1,160 last year and 837 in 2019.

But the overall number of entries for GCSE has increased by 4.8% on last year.

While traditional A*-G grades are used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest.

A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A.

The latest Ofqual figures show the attainment gap in GCSE results between private and state schools in England has widened at the top grades this year.

This summer, nearly half (48.4%) of private school entries scored a grade 7 and above compared to 19.4% of those at comprehensive schools - a gap of 29 percentage points. Last year this gap was 28.2 percentage points.

But the gap between private and comprehensive schools has narrowed compared to 2019 - when it was 29.3 percentage points.

'Significant differences'

Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the results show "significant differences" in regional outcomes for GCSEs in England.

He said: "This suggests that relative levels of prosperity and socioeconomic disadvantage continue to play a huge part in educational outcomes, and addressing these gaps must be a key priority for the new government working alongside the education sector.

"We have to do more to support our schools and colleges. Funding and teacher shortages, combined with post-pandemic issues around mental health, behaviour and attendance, have made circumstances particularly challenging."

Schools minister Catherine McKinnell said: "I want to congratulate both students and teachers on their achievements today despite the many challenges they've had to overcome over the past few years to get here.

"While this is a moment to celebrate, I am deeply concerned about the inequalities in our education system with where you live and what type of school you attend still being too big an influence on your opportunities."

Nearly 373,000 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results have also been awarded to pupils.

Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator of Ofqual, said: "Consistent, rigorous standards of grading are producing consistent results. It is evidence that we have settled back into a pattern of dependable and trustworthy results."

Margaret Farragher, chief executive of the JCQ, said: "These achievements are hard-earned and students should feel justly proud to have reached this important milestone in their educational journey."

Jill Duffy, chairwoman of JCQ board of directors and chief executive of OCR exam board, said: "We're seeing a record number of results issued today, and every one of them represents a student's hard work, as well as that of their teachers, parents, and support staff."

In Scotland, results for National 5 qualifications earlier this month showed the pass rate was 77.2%, down from 78.8% last year and 78.2% in 2019.

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