Schools In Est Riding Achieve Best Ever Exam Results

The majority of East Riding secondary schools achieved record results today as the final results were checked – but a small number of schools have been affected by national problems with GCSE English marking with one examination board.

The East Riding has improved its performance against all GCSE measures with a three per cent improvement in the gold standard of five or more A* to C grades including English and mathematics to 59 per cent in 2012.

The proportion gaining five or more good passes in any subject has increased by 5 per cent to 85 per cent, 15 per cent above the national average. The average point score, one of the best ways to measure the success of every child, has increased for the seventh consecutive year.

The East Riding secondary school results for those students achieving the gold standard mark of five or more GCSE passes at A* to C grade, including English and maths are in the table below.
School % of five or more passes at A* to C

Grade including maths and English
(gold standard)
Beverley Grammar School 65
Beverley High School 49
School 39
Cottingham High School 61
Driffield School 52
Headlands School 54
Hessle High School 61
Hornsea School 69
Howden School and College 60
Longcroft School & Performing Arts College 60
South Holderness Tech. College 51
South Hunsley School 70
The School 58
The Snaith School 72
Goole High School 37
High School 53
Woldgate College Not available
Wolfreton School 64

Several schools in the East Riding have been negatively affected by a late change in grade boundaries in English GCSE; these include Bridlington School, Beverley High School, Driffield School and South Holderness Technology College.

Large numbers of schools, head teachers organisations and local authorities will ask for papers to be remarked and challenge the process of English marking as a whole by one examination board. Many schools across the country are challenging the single examination board about the changes that have led to almost 9,000 fewer grades A*-C in English this year.

Councillor Julie Abraham, portfolio holder for children, young people and maintained schools at , said: “It is excellent that, with these results, so many of our young people have a firm base from which to make decision on the next step from here, whether it be into further education or into the world of work and training.”

Alison Michalska, director of children, family and adult services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We are tremendously proud that year after year young people continue to achieve even better GCSE or level two results in East Riding secondary schools in a wide range of qualifications.

“These pleasing results are underpinned by many outstanding stories of hard work and application as well as committed teaching and support.

“We are delighted in the improvement and these results restore our position as a high performing local authority.

“The performance in the gold standard of five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, shows that key numeracy and literacy skills continue to thrive alongside other subjects and that we have got the balance right in our secondary schools.

“We are proud of the work done by young people throughout the East Riding, with the support of their carers and families. We greatly appreciate the hard work of head teachers and teaching and support staff that have contributed to these results.

“That they achieve this against a backdrop of very low level of funding from the Department for Education for East Riding schools is testament to their determined commitment to their pupils’ achievement.

“The national concern around the English mark is extremely worrying and wish our schools well in challenging the results for their pupils.”

Sharon Japp, head teacher of Beverley High School, said: “ We are extremely disappointed, but will be asking for a quarter of our English papers remarked and support a national investigation into what went wrong with the marking this year.

“We have had lots of success this year in a wide range of GCSEs, which continue to be well above the national average and the numbers achieving five good passes have held up very well.

“Our A level results continue to be some of the best in the region. We are proud of the success of girls in year 11 this year in a challenging national context.”

Simon Jones, head teacher at Driffield School, said: “Both of our papers in English have significantly fewer A* to C than we expected, all other subjects have done well, this national problem with English is extremely disappointing, but we will be submitting large numbers of papers to be remarked.

“We expect our results to go up as a result of the re-marked papers. We have some very impressive results in our GCSEs this year and the English marking by this exam board have let our students down, we look forward to this being put right in the near future.”

Sarah Pashley, head teacher of Bridlington School, said: “I am delighted with the improvement in our school over the last few years.

“This year’s GCSE results have been much better with a huge improvement in five or more good passes much improved A level grades, and we feel let down by the English marking in this examination board.

“We hope that many GCSE English papers we are sending back will be remarked with the grade our students deserve.”

John Seaman, principal adviser at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This is been a great year overall for students in East Riding secondary schools, we are immensely proud of the improved GCSE grades achieved by nearly 4,000 young people in East Riding schools.

“We are very supportive of those schools who have been badly hit by the problems with one English Examination Board along with many Yorkshire and Humber local authorities and others across the country, we will support an investigation into what happened and are confident that remarked papers will go a long way towards redressing the issue.

“We are proud of schools’ continuing improvement in the East Riding of Yorkshire.”



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