GCSE results remain fairly stable across England

GCSE results have remained fairly stable across England, with the number of schools falling below the current floor unchanged at 312.

The Department for Education (DfE) has released GCSE and A level performance tables for 2015, which show that 57.1 per cent of pupils gained five GCSEs at A* to C, including English and maths, representing a slight increase from 56.6 per cent in 2014.

The DfE has celebrated the performance of converter academies, which outperformed the national average by 7.2 percentage points for pupils attaining five good GCSEs. Sponsored academies, underperforming schools who have been taken over by an academy sponsor, that have been opened for two academic years were found to have result improved by 2.3 per cent, on average, since 2014.

The results highlight that the gender gap is still an issue, with 61.8 per cent of girls achieving five good GCSEs compared to 52.5 per cent of boys.

Overall, 24.3 per cent of pupils achieved the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc), which requires GCSEs in two sciences, a language, history or geography, as well as English and maths, with 29.3 per cent of girls achieving the Ebacc compared to 19.5 per cent of boys.

This year’s league tables also represent the last time that schools will be judged on the basis of raw GCSE results. Next year will see the introduction of ‘Progress 8’, a new method of measuring school performance that aims to better assess the progress pupils make between Key Stage 2 and the end of their time at secondary school.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is cautiously welcoming these changes to school performance tables.

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the ASCL, said: “There needs to be some caution because we have to see how well Progress 8 works in practice and deal with any teething problems.

“Overall, however, Progress 8 is a fairer way of judging schools. Measuring schools on GCSE attainment does not take into account the fact that children are at different points when they start their secondary education.

“Schools may be doing a fantastic job in helping struggling pupils make great progress, but judging them on GCSE results does not reflect this because it is based on the grades achieved rather than the progress made.”