Record GCSE results for Sandwell pupils

Cabinet member for children and families Councillor Bob Badham said: "This is fantastic news for Sandwell and shows all of the hard work that everyone has put in during the year.

"Since 2002 there has been year-on-year improvement in our results which shows that everyone is pulling out all of the stops to offer our young the best possible start in life.

"I would now urge local businesses and industries to take on our young school leavers after these excellent results and give them a good start on the career ladder."

And Council leader Councillor Darren Cooper said: "This is wonderful for the borough's pupils and it just shows what we could achieve if the Government allowed us to modernise our secondary schools under the Building Schools for the Future programme."

In provisional figures, the percentage of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grade C or above has increased to a massive 84 per cent - a rise of nine percentage points on last year's record results.

Sandwell is now four percentage points above the national average of 80 per cent.

The number of pupils achieving five or more A* to C passes has moved the borough from 99th to 47th out of 152 local authorities.

And at five or more A* to C passes, including English and Maths, Sandwell has jumped nine places from 147th to 138th.

It means the borough has gone up six percentage points on last year to 50 per cent. This compares with a national figure of 58 per cent which only went up by three percentage points.

The most improved school in the borough since last year was St Michael's CofE High in Rowley Regis, where results at five or more A* to C grades, including English and Maths, improve by 18 per cent and went up to 48 per cent this year.

Other schools where results for five or more A*to C grades rose significantly since last year were Oldbury College of Sport, up 12 percentage points, and Alexandra High and Holly Lodge Foundation High School were both up 11 percentage points.

The progress that pupils in Sandwell make in English and Maths between the age of 11 and taking their GCSEs has also improved and the gap between Sandwell and the performance of pupils nationally is closing. 

In English, the gap has closed from eight percentage points in 2010 to four percentage points in 2011. In Maths the gap has closed from 13 percentage points to eight percentage points in 2011.

The English Baccalaureate is achieved by pupils who attain an A* to C grade in English, Maths, two or more sciences, geography or history, and a modern foreign language.

The national average is 15 per cent but this was beaten by one per cent by pupils at Perryfields High Maths and Computing College in Oldbury.

There has also been improvements in the progress made by pupils between Key Stage 2 and GCSE.

In English, Sandwell's position improved by 18 places to 122nd and in Maths, Sandwell was up eight places to 134th.