GCSEs: Oldham bucks national trend

OLDHAM’S GCSE students bucked the national trend to record the borough’s best-ever results.

Early indications suggest more than half of all local schools have improved or maintained their results despite a national drop in the number of pupils getting five top grade A* to C passes.

The percentage of pupils in Oldham’s schools gaining at least five GCSEs — including English and mathematics — at C or above is expected to have slightly risen from last year’s 55.9 per cent pass rate to above 56 per cent, against an overall fall across schools in England.

The percentage of pupils gaining at least five GCSEs is also expected to yet again to be above the national average.

Councillor Amanda Chadderton, cabinet member for education, employment and skills, said: “Early indications show that results in the borough have bucked the national trend, which is great news.”