GCSE target is met early

Schools Minister, Jim Knight, has welcomed continued improvement in the proportion of pupils gaining five good GCSEs as the target of 60% of 15 year olds getting five A* to Cs was reached a year early.

Speaking about this year’s publication of provisional GCSE results, Jim Knight said: “I want to congratulate students and teachers on their hard work paying off – we should recognise that five good GCSEs is a significant academic achievement.”

The published figures show that the number of students achieving five A* to C grades has risen by 1.8 percentage points from 58.5% to 60.3%. This is up from just 45.1% 10 years ago, meaning that 470,000 more young people have achieved this level since 1997. They also show that more pupils are mastering the core skills. The percentage of pupils achieving five A* to C GCSEs, including English and maths, has risen by 0.7 percentage points from 45.8% to 46.5%. This figure is up 0.4 percentage points from 1997 – from 45.3% to 45.7% - this is 380,000 more pupils since 1997.

The results show that local authorities in some of the most challenging circumstances have made some of the highest gains this year. Notable achievements include – Halton rising 8.5%, Salford 7.7% and Wakefield 7.5%.

Talking about this achievement, Jim Knight said: “I am pleased to see that schools in local authorities with challenging circumstances, such as large numbers from disadvantaged backgrounds, are amongst those making the most progress.”

Despite all of the positive news, Jim Knight vowed to increase the pace of improvement. “I am challenging all LAs to do what the best are doing.

“I’m impatient to go further and faster so every pupil reaches their full potential.

“The new target of at least 53% of young people getting five good GCSEs, including English and maths, by 2011 – which requires a doubling of the current rate of improvement - will be another important milestone towards a world-class education system.”

GCSE target is met early

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