GCSE results a credit to all

NEARLY 85 per cent of Year 11 pupils at Warrington schools achieved five A*-C grades in the GCSE results – up two per cent on last year.
More than 62 per cent achieved five A*-C grades including English and Maths – significantly above the national average which last year was 58.3 per cent.
Nationally, five A*-C including English and Maths, results are reported to have dropped this year and across Warrington the results are slightly down by only 1 per cent.
Cllr Colin Froggatt (pictured), the borough council’s executive member for children and young people’s services said: “We are very pleased with all that our young people have achieved this year.
“These results are a credit to all the hard work and determination shown by students and the excellent teaching and support from teachers, school staff, governors and parents. We wish all our students the best of luck for the future.”
No school in Warrington is below the national floor standard of 40 per cent.
Nationally, some headteachers have complained that children have been unfairly and harshly graded this year as a resul of efforts by the exams regulator to curb grade inflation.
Some claim pupils have been marked down by an entire grade in English compared with the results teachers were expecting.
Warrington’s Sir Thomas Boteler CE High School claimed to be bucking the national trend however, with 49 per cent of pupils gaining five A*-C grades including English and Maths, two per cent up on last year’s figure.
Top performers this year were Abigail Lewis and Georgia Bass.
Abigail scored eight A* grades in her 13 GCSEs and Georgia six A*s in her 12.
Headteacher John Sharples thanked staff for the way they had prepared pupils for the exams.
He also credited parents for all their support and encouragement but said that it was the young people themselves who deserved recognition for this success:
“Our class of 2012 was an outstanding group of young people who contributed greatly to the life of the school. They have set an excellent example to the younger students and we wish them well in the future,” he added.