The Department for Education published the 2010 performance tables for GCSEs, A Levels and equivalent qualifications yesterday.
The figures show:
- the overall number of five GCSE (or iGCSE or equivalent) passes at A* to C including English and mathematics has increased again this year by 3.6 percentage points to 53.4 per cent – around 25,600 more pupils achieving this performance measure than last year
- 216 schools were below the new floor standard of below 35 per cent achieving five GCSEs or equivalents at grades A* to C including English and mathematics and below the average levels of progression in English and mathematics
- under the new English Baccalaureate measure, 15.6 per cent of pupils in England achieve an A* to C GCSE (or iGCSE) in English, mathematics, sciences, a modern or ancient language and history or geography
- 53.8 per cent of pupils achieved the new basic measure of achieving English and mathematics GCSEs (or iGCSEs) at grade A* to C
Education Secretary Michael Gove said:
"Children, parents and schools should be proud of their results, which have been achieved through all the hard work they have put in. But as the international evidence from PISA shows us, England still lags behind other nations. We have not succeeded in closing the gap and in raising attainment for all students.
That’s why we are reforming our school system by learning from the best-performing countries. In nearly every other developed country in the world children are assessed in a range of core academic subjects at 15 or 16. That is why the Coalition introduced the English Baccalaureate as a measure of performance.
The key performance measure remains the number of children who get five A*- C passes at GCSE including English and maths.
I am open to arguments about how we can further improve every measure in the performance tables – including the English Baccalaureate. But I am determined to ensure that our exam standards match the highest standards around the world."
For more information, visit: http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/pressnotices/a0072297/parents-get-more-information-about-school-performance.