Following the best ever results achieved by pupils in Islington primary schools in this year’s Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 SATs, this week it was the turn of their counterparts in the borough’s secondary schools to show that they, too, were capable of bettering all past performances.
The provisional results of this year’s GCSE examinations were made available to students on 27 August, and show that not only have students at Islington schools performed better than ever before, but that the level of improvement in the results has exceeded results achieved by schools a year ago.
Figures show that the percentage of pupils who attended Islington secondary schools and achieved 5 or more GCSE passes at grades A*- C in 2009 has risen from the previous all-time best for the borough of 56.4% to a new high of 64.4%. Nationally, the rise has only been 1.4%, and Islington is therefore rapidly closing the gap with national standards.
When added to the improvement made in student performance in GCSEs this time last year on the 2007 figure, this means that results have improved by a highly impressive 15.1% over the past two years.
The percentage of students achieving 5 or more GCSE passes at grades A*- C, including both English and mathematics – now stands at 44.4% … a rise of 5.5%. All schools comfortably exceeded the floor target figure set by the government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) for this measure.
Detailed information about individual schools’ performance will be available when the statistical release is published by the DCSF in mid-September.
Councillor Paula Belford, Islington's executive member for children and young people, said: “It is wonderful to see that young people, schools, parents and the education support services are being rewarded for their efforts. More and more students are now leaving Islington schools better prepared for their next phase of life – whether it be in employment, or in further education – than ever before. With the Building Schools for the Future programme firmly in place, parents can have every confidence that their children will receive an education of the highest quality, irrespective of which Islington secondary school they attend.”
Eleanor Schooling, Corporate Director of Children’s Services, said: “These results are a credit to the young people who have studied so hard. Young people with talent can really shine in Islington schools, and I am pleased to see how many students have achieved A* and A grades. Additionally, it is also really good news that the record number of students entered for individual science subjects have achieved so well."
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Page Last Updated: 27 August 2009