Council praise for GCSE youngsters

A SENIOR councillor has praised Warrington’s young people and their teachers after most of the town’s schools bucked the national trend by achieving improved GCSE results.
Cllr Jean Carter (pictured) , the borough council’s lead member for children’s services, said: “I would like to congratulate our young people on this fantastic set of results”
In a statement, the council said that, following on from last week’s A-Levels success, Warrington’s GCSE results yet again looked to be high, with most schools having significantly improved on last year’s five A*- C grades.
Seventy one percent of Warrington Year 11 pupils achieved five A*- C grades, a three per cent improvement on last year. Nationally, the proportion of entries achieving A* to C has declined by 2.1v per cent to 66.9 per cent, placing Warrington well above this national average.
Sixty two per cent of pupils achieved five A*-C grades (including English and Maths), a four percent improvement on last year.
Schools and local authorities are also judged on key progress indicators in English and Maths.  The number of students making expected progress in English has improved significantly from 73 per cent in 2015 to 81 per cent this year.
There is a similar improvement in Maths, where 69 per cent of students made expected progress, compared to 67 per cent last year.
“This year’s GCSE results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have shown a significant fall but this is not reflected in Warrington’s outcomes which show an overall improvement,” the statement added.
Cllr Carter  said:“I would like to congratulate our young people on this fantastic set of results. They are testament to the the hard work and determination shown by our students and the excellent teaching and support from teachers, assistants, other staff, governors and parents.
“GCSEs provide the foundation for future success in further education, training and employment, and improve the career opportunities and life chances of our young people. These impressive results show that our schools are equipping our students with the knowledge and skills they need to truly achieve great things.”
Young people looking for guidance in relation to their next steps in education and employment can attend the “Your Future, Your Choice, Move On 2016” event on Thursday September 15 at Orford Jubilee Park 4pm-7pm.
They will be able to speak with professionals and apply for opportunities including college courses and apprenticeships.
More details are available from the Careers for Young People service on 01925 442211 or from the website www.careersforyoungpeople.co.uk