Greater Manchester’s school leavers celebrated another successful year for GCSE results with 53% achieving five or more A*-C grades yesterday – yet national results have suffered the biggest drop in its 25-year history.
The national dip – down 1.3% on 2012’s results – bucks the trend of 20 years of improving grades.
Yet schools across Greater Manchester are boasting that they have maintained their grades, or even improved them.
Councillor Afzal Khan, Executive Member for Children’s Services at Manchester City Council said: “This year’s results represent the combined dedication, commitment and talent shown by Manchester’s pupils and teaching staff.
“Getting such excellent results at GCSE level will motive these pupils to go and achieve even more with A-Levels, further studies and their career options.
“I think I speak on behalf of the whole city when I say we applaud the hard work that has accompanied these results.”
The Co-operative Academy of Manchester saw a 16.1% increase compared with last year, with 56.6% achieving A*-C grades including English and Maths.
Loreto High School in Chorlton saw 58.4% of their students achieve A*-C, which is a 14.4% increase from last year’s grades.
In Wythenshawe, the Manchester Enterprise Academy was another school with high improvements with an 11.4%.
King David High School in Crumpsall had a 3.3% increase and Chorlton High School saw a 1.3% rise in their results giving them their best results ever.
Head teacher Andy Park said: “We have strived to ensure that all students at every level have an excellent springboard for future successes.
“The school’s commitment to ensuring that all students achieve is highlighted by our students with severe learning difficulties, who have achieved good passes at GCSE or equivalent subjects, and our brightest Year 11 students, who received excellent results.”
A 4.3% increase saw 63.9% of students from Trinity C of E High School in Hulme achieve A*-C grades.
With a large sum of schools around Greater Manchester there are some exceptionally talented youngsters out there.
Eleven students from Parrs Wood High School in Didsbury achieved 10 A* at least with Head Girl Lydia Marsden receiving a fantastic 15 A* grades.
Elliot Buss and Thomas Smith, both from Parrs Wood High School, achieved 13 A* and one A grade each.
Humza Saleem also did amazingly well and despite having health problems achieved 4 A and 7 B grades.
Parrs Wood head teacher Andy Shakos said: “All our students have demonstrated great passion, commitment and resilience to improving academically and socially, at an increasingly unforgiving time in education when young people are not always awarded the credit they deserve.”
Lauren Flaherty from The Bartlow RC High School Didsbury managed to achieve 11 out of the schools whopping 91 A*-A grades.
Lauren said: “I am so happy with my results especially with my A*s in biology and geography.
“I’m going on to study these subjects alongside Spanish and English literature at Xaverian College.
“I worked really hard to get my grades. All my teachers were very supportive and the extra revision classes and past paper practice they organised really paid off.”
Head teacher Claire McCarron said: “We are absolutely delighted with the outstanding success of all our students.
“The high numbers achieving excellent grades in the more challenging academic subjects show that The Barlow continues to prepare its pupils for the challenges of A-level and beyond.”
Picture courtesy of Mark Waugh, with thanks.
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