Schools boss praises area's GCSE results

Despite the significant changes that have been made to the examinations system and, in particular, to the way in which English and maths have been tested this year, provisional results from schools show that around 64% of students have achieved Grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Grade 4 is roughly equivalent to a C grade in previous years.

County Councillor Susie Charles, Lancashire County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, said: “I hope that our students are justifiably proud of themselves.

These results are the reward for a great deal of hard work by students and their teachers to meet the demands of the more challenging requirements of this year’s GCSE exams.

“The exams are different this year, to the extent that the regulator has said that it is not even possible to compare this year’s to previous results.

“Although it also isn’t possible to make a proper comparison with national statistics at this stage until they are released in October, I’m proud to say that the number of our students achieving good grades can only be seen as being very positive.

“The results show that standards remain genuinely high in our schools despite the widespread changes in marking and the curriculum.

“Since I became cabinet member I’ve been constantly impressed by what I see in our schools. “