Let’s celebrate! Cheshire East students achieve outstanding GCSE results

Cheshire East pupils have achieved yet more success for the borough with an outstanding set of GCSE results.

New reformed GCSEs have been developed to meet the requirements of the government, who wanted more-challenging qualifications and better differentiation of students at the top grades.

Our schools and students have certainly responded to this challenge with the excellent results across our 22 secondary schools.

Provisional figures show that 70 per cent of pupils achieved a ‘standard pass’ or better in English and maths. Nine of our schools were above 75 per cent. Currently, there is no equivalent rate nationally.

In English, a stunning 83 per cent of Cheshire East pupils gained the standard pass or better compared to 65 per cent nationally. This is a remarkable outcome for our schools. Five schools saw over 90 per cent of their learners achieve the standard pass rate.

In maths, 74 per cent of Cheshire East pupils gained the standard pass or better compared with 69 per cent nationally. Six schools saw more than 80 per cent of their students achieve the standard pass.

Analysing performance of learners achieving a strong pass (grade 5), shows that more than 60 per cent of all pupils achieved this level in English and 50 per cent in maths.

Councillor George Hayes, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for children and families, said: “The young people of Cheshire East have once again excelled in their GCSE exams and have certainly risen to the challenge of having to deal with new exams arrangements and curriculum content.

“I am absolutely delighted for them, as GCSEs are a really important bedrock for a young person’s future. This time of year is an anxious one for pupils but I really do hope that the agonising wait for results has been worth it.

“I want to thank families, teachers and all school staff, who have worked so very hard to support our pupils and also the young people themselves – who continue to maintain an extraordinarily high success rate in Cheshire East.

“To continue to perform as a local authority at the highest level, year after year, is a real credit to our schools in what continues to be a turbulent and challenging time in educational reforms.

“To achieve these outstanding results requires real determination and commitment from everyone involved and gives every young learner the best opportunity to progress into their next phase of education, apprenticeship, training or employment.”