Half fail to make GCSE grade

Fewer than half of teenagers are leaving school with good qualifications that include both English and maths, new-style GCSE league tables reveal today.

And, in some schools in the West Midlands and Staffordshire, that figure drops to under 15 per cent as results in the subjects were used in rankings for the first time.

Nationally, six out of 10 pupils hit the benchmark of five A*- C grades at GCSE excluding maths and English.

But the figure slumps to 45.8 per cent when the two core subjects are included.

The figures show wild variations within schools that are often just a few miles away from each other.

In Wolverhampton, just 13 per cent of pupils at Parkfield High School achieved five good GSCE passes including maths and English. At the city's Girls' High School the figure is 99 per cent.

In Stafford, Rising Brook School scores just 12 per cent while, around a mile down the road, Blessed William Howard Catholic School scores 56 per cent.

Under the old system, secondary schools were ranked according to the number of pupils attaining GCSEs in any five subjects, so they could boost their standing with passes in non-core subjects.

Schools' positions have been shaken-up as a result of the new method of assessment, with some previously high ranked schools slumping under the revamped league tables.

A staggering 500 schools failed to hit the Government's new target, which is to have at least a quarter of pupils in every school passing five GCSEs, including English and maths.

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, described today's figures as "shocking".

"Instead of leaving school ready for the world of work, too many simply do not have the necessary skills to enter the workforce," he said.

"I hope that the publication of these results forces the Government to reassess how English and maths are taught in our schools."

By Sunita Patel

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