Schools’ GCSE performance revealed

PARENTS can now see how many pupils passed a GCSE in every subject at every Oldham school.

Statistics showing the detailed performance of all secondaries in England in last year’s exams went on-line for the first time yesterday.

The Government says it will help parents choose where they send their children to school.

In recent years it has published the number of pupils gaining five A* to C grades at each school. Now people can also see:

::The number of children who enter each GCSE subject in a school.

::The number of children who get certain grades in each GCSE subject in a school, for example an A*-C in history.

::The number and proportion of students in each school achieving five A* to C grades including English and maths, with and without GCSE equivalent subjects.

The figures highlight variations across Oldham’s 16 high schools, five of which have since been replaced by three academies.

For example, all 58 Year 11 pupils sat maths at Oldham Hulme Grammar Schools, with 54 getting an A* to C grade. At Failsworth, 156 of its 289 pupils got the same grades in the subject.

A total of 114 pupils sat each of the separate science subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. None did at Hathershaw or the former Grange and Counthill Schools.

By far the highest number of entries for a language was 152 pupils taking French at Saddleworth. The former Counthill School had the biggest variation in its five A* to C pass rate, including English and maths, when GCSE equivalent subjects were excluded. It fell from 48 per cent to 20 per cent.