Islington schools celebrate GCSE success<br><br>There were several pieces of good news for Islington following the publication of the 2007 GCSE (and equivalent) examination results by the Department for Children, Schools and Families today.<br><br>Progress is continuing to be made by pupils attending schools in the borough, with 49.3% of pupils having gained at least five A*- C grade passes. This is a best-ever result for schools in Islington, and shows a healthy 2.3% increase on the 2006 results.<br><br>Pupils from an Afro-Caribbean background fared particularly well, with 60% achieving five A*- C grades. This was a 6% increase on last year's figure, and an overall progression of 15% in the past two years.<br><br>There were also impressive performances from pupils from the Bangladeshi community, who achieved a 59% five A*- C pass rate, an increase of some 8% on the previous year's results. Additionally, 55% of all pupils for whom English is an additional language gained five or more A*- C grade passes.<br><br>Schools have focused on core subjects as a passport to success and, in English, in almost 80% of the borough's secondary schools, the contextual value added scores (i.e. measures which show progress on previous attainment) were significantly better than had been predicted. <br><br>Some schools had particular reason to feel pleased with their performance. Results at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Mount Carmel schools rose by a highly commendable 11% and 12% respectively on their 2006 figures, and at Highbury Fields School, the progress made in 2006 was further developed this year. In the north of the borough, pupils at St.Aloysius College again enjoyed the greatest level of success of all Islington schools, with 61% of students achieving five or more A*- C grade passes.<br><br>Deputy Head at St.Aloysius College, Danny Coyle is rightly pleased about the results, saying: "This is the third year running in which our GCSE results have been top in the borough. This is testimony to the hard work that all of our staff, pupils, teachers and governors have put in. Four years ago this school was on 'special measures' so this is an outstanding achievement for us. We realise however that we can't afford to be complacent and we will continue to drive up the standard. Our aspirations are as high as ever." <br><br>Paul Kehoe, Head Teacher at Mount Carmel also commented on his school's success saying: "We're absolutely delighted with the improvement in results. We've been making slow but steady progress over the years and we are now above the National average for A-C grades, including maths and English."<br><br>Councillor Ursula Woolley, Executive Member for Children and Young People, said of the borough's results:<br>"People from Islington are better placed than ever to move on to further and higher education and employment. I want us to be able to make a lot more improvements in the years to come, but all this is positive news for Islington."<br><br>Praise also came from Eleanor Schooling, Director of Education Services for Islington Council:<br>"Although we still have a distance to travel to arrive at where we want to be, I am generally very pleased at the progress that the students continue to make in our secondary schools. This bears testament to the hard work being put in by both pupils and staff in schools, and to the support we have received from parents, school governors and a range of other agencies. We have come a long way since CEA@Islington was first given the brief to help raise standards in the borough's schools. Many will remember that, in 2000, only 26.5% of pupils achieved the levels reached by almost half our students this year. "<br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009