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GCSE results 2010: Best ever year for Peterborough schools
Arthur Mellows Village College pupils celebrate their GCSE results. (METP-24-08-10GM043) Picture: Georgi Mabee
RECORD-BREAKING pupils have helped the city beat the national GCSE results average for the first time.
Hundreds of teenagers across Peterborough were jumping for joy and cheering with delight after picking up their prized results yesterday morning.
In the city, 73.9 per cent of pupils netted five A* to C grades in all subjects, which represents Peterborough’s best-ever figures – up 12 per cent on 2009.
However, the results have not just beaten the city’s previous best, set last year, but also the national average, which stands at 69.1 per cent – the first time this has been achieved.
Meanwhile, the percentage of pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades, including maths and English, increased by 5.4 per cent to 46.2 per cent, however it is not yet known how that compares to the national average.
Overall, A* to C grades were achieved by 62.7 per cent of pupils in English, 59.8 per cent of pupils in maths and 71.2 per cent of pupils in science.
Education chiefs have heaped praise on pupils for their hard work in making 2010 a special year for the city.
Peterborough City Council’s executive director of children’s services John Richards said it had been a “fantastic day” for Peterborough.
He said: “We’ve got the best very ever results in GCSE and it’s a great feeling to know that we are also above the national average.
“It’s a fantastic performance because we’ve never been above the national average before. Every school has shown an improvement this year.
“These results show sustainable improvement which is very important for us and for young people.
“The results, along with the A-levels last week, show that our young people are achieving more than ever before and that their aspirations and our aspirations for them are growing.”
He also said the results would be beneficial to the city’s economy and they represent strong partnerships between schools and the local authority.
He added: “Good GCSE results are a gateway to work, apprenticeships, diplomas and A-levels.
“These results demonstrate the true partnerships between the local authority and our schools and I hope that this will continue.”
Councillor John Holdich, cabinet member for education, skills and university, said the results were down to several years of hard work.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted for everyone.
“There’s been a lot of hard work going on over a number of years by schools and the local authority, who have been working hard together.
“I’m pleased they have all increased their grades and that’s got to be good for the city as a whole.”
Schools all over the city recorded increases in their results.
The headteacher of the formerly much troubled St John Fisher Catholic High School, in Park Lane, Peterborough, Sean Hayes believes this year’s results show they are back on track.
The school was placed in special measures by Ofsted in April 2008 before coming out of it in March this year.
Yesterday, they announced slight increases on last year’s statistics, with 49 per cent of pupils passing five or more GCSEs at grade C or above.
Mr Hayes said: “After last week’s impressive A-level results, this marks a very rewarding end to a very successful year for the school.
“I believe these results show we are now back on track and in a strong position to move forward.”
Ormiston Bushfield Academy, in Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, also announced strong results at the end of its first year as an academy.
Pupils gaining five A* to C grades increased by a massive 30 per cent from last year to 71 per cent.
Meanwhile, 43 per cent of pupils gained five A* to C grades, including English and maths, which is up by 21 per cent on 2009’s figures.
Principal Eric Winstone said: “We’re delighted.
“We feel all of the hard work we have put in as the first year of being an academy has reaped the reward.”
However, Cllr Holdich and Mr Richards said they will not be complacent and more improvements will be made to make 2011’s results just as successful.
Mr Richards said: “There are some schools who we want to talk specifically to and try to help them with their cohort of young people.
“We can’t be complacent and we have to maintain this improvement to do the best for the children of this city.”
Cllr Holdich added: “Breaking the 45 per cent barrier for the number of pupils gaining five or more A* to C grades including English and maths is an important foundation for further improvements in 2011.
“We have a clear vision to provide a first class secondary education for young people in Peterborough.”
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Dalek Sec
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 08:53 AMI don't agree exams are getting easier - but agree 100% about the guitarist - worst ad in the world!
25
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 08:19 AMexams have got easier and easier to try and fill the skills gap that there is in business its as simple as that. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF THE POP UP GUITARIST ON THIS SITE MOST ANNOYING!
badwolf
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 07:48 PMBut the language has changed look at how poeple spoke years ago we would not dream of talking like that now, plus text speak has changed the way people communicate, whether we like it or not, plus being illetrate has nothing to do with having GCSE's or not that's down to schooling and parental input, more discilpine may help also And you don't have to just turn up to pass an exam, i like Dalek was at the beginning of the GCSE's and had to do exams in 3 subjects, all the rest were coursework which was done throughout the year, which is fairer because if you did excellent, but failed because of nerves in an exam all your hard work was wiped out, and studying does not always work with every person
Dalek Sec
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 05:35 PMI agree Bambooler, things are fairer now, I was actually one of the first people to take GCSEs when they were introduced. I think one of the reason people have a poor grasp of the English language is that it isn't evolving as quickly as it should be doing. The English we use evolved before mobile phones, internet and e-mail and isn't really very effective when used through these mediums. So, we can't blame youngsters for adapting the language - after all a language is another part of the evolutionary process and cannot get left behind. This does, however, hot excuse the misuse of "their" and "our" instead of "are".
Bamboozler
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 05:25 PMThings are very different nowadays. Students get a better crack at acheiving good results. In the seventies, you had one bite of the cherry, 100% of your mark was decided in a single 2-3 hour exam. I remember having a streaming cold when sitting one of my subjects. I think I failed, I would normally have taken that day off school, but you had no choice in those days. No chance of a resitting the exam at a latter stage. I'm pleased things are much fairer now, though it does reflect badly on us older folk when revealing our qualifications.
Ordinary Bloke in the Real World
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 05:09 PMEveryone know you only have to turn up to an exam to pass it these days. If results are so good, why is that so many school leavers are barely literate? A school leaver's just started where I work who has no idea of the difference between the words 'there', 'their' and 'they're' and doesn't know when to write 'our' rather than 'are' and vice-versa. And this person has 'A' grade English A-level. It's a joke.
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