Blue Coat’s gold star

GCSE tables
BLUE Coat School has one of the country’s top sixth forms.

It is the 20th-best state school for the average point score achieved by A-levels pupils in today’s secondary school league tables.

The school also has the 30th-best sixth form in the country — counting both state and selective schools.

Oldham Sixth Form college, which has the largest local number of A-level students, saw its average A level point score rise to 709.6 after dipping into the 680s last year.

Oldham Hulme Grammar Schools scored the borough’s best GCSE results, with 94 per cent of pupils gaining at least five A*-C grades.

Crompton House and Blue coat were the best performing state schools, with 80 and 76 per cent respectively.

Jim Upton, senior deputy head at Crompton House, said: “We had great results across the ability range and we are delighted for all of the pupils.”

Oasis Academy Oldham had the borough’s worst results for the second consecutive year, falling from 37 per cent from 33 per cent — one of the country’s bottom-200 performers.

But Principal David Hayes said: “The results of last year do not accurately reflect the current picture of learning. We have implemented a robust plan to raise attainment.”

The biggest drop in results was at Royton and Crompton School, down from 60 to 48 per cent.

Headteacher Desmond Herlihy, who is leaving at Easter, said they had been affected by the national GCSE English grading fiasco.

“Overall the results are among our best ever,” he said. “Our 5A* to C figure is 88 per cent which is up on last year. Our pupils have achieved the best-ever points score and have produced the highest number of A*-A grades.”

Overall Oldham is 114th out of 151 local authorities for its results. For the second year the tables show how many pupils achieved the English baccalaureate — a C or above in each of GCSE English, maths, science, a humanities (history or geography) and a modern foreign language.

The Government wants to replace GCSE with the Ebac, but there are concerns from schools that it does not include any arts or humanities subjects, such as religious studies.

Most Oldham schools saw little change in the number of pupils achieving qualifications in all five subjects. The percentage doing so across Oldham increased from 8.7 to 11.1 per cent, below the national average of 18.3 per cent.

Saddleworth School had the most pupils entering all subjects, but Hulme had the best results.

No pupils at Radclyffe School gained the Ebac — though its five A*-C GCSE rate (inc English and maths) increased from 46 per cent in 2009 to 51 per cent.

Headteacher Hardial Hayer said: “The Ebac is not a qualification, just a group of subjects. We offer them but we aren’t going to force students to do them just because it is a measure which exists.”


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