GCSE glee for better schools

AIMING high . . . (back, from left) Joshua Rose, Gage Pickering, Josh Watt, Demi Hyde, Sophie Higham, Bradley Salloway and Erin Walsh. Front: Ali Freeman (deputy principal) with principal David Hayes

GCSE results at Oasis Academy Oldham are among the most improved in Greater Manchester.

The number of pupils getting at least five A* to C grades, including English and maths, at the Hollins secondary jumped from 33 per cent in 2012 to 50 per cent last summer.

League tables published today show this is the biggest rise in Oldham, followed by Royton and Crompton School (48 per cent to 63 per cent).

Seven Oldham schools improved their GCSE results, four saw drops and two remained the same.

Oasis Academy Oldham principal David Hayes said: “This is very positive progress — we’ve also seen very positive improvements in attendance, teaching and learning, and pupils’ behaviour. This is part of our ambition to align ourselves with other great schools in Oldham.

“Our next big goal is to elevate our Ofsted grading, aiming for ‘good’, in the first instance.

“I am really proud of all of our students who have responded to the hard work put in by our great team of staff.”

Hulme Grammar School, Werneth, had the best results, with 95 per cent of pupils achieving at least five A* to C grades, including English and maths.

But the figures fell sharply at Crompton House in Shaw (80 per cent to 68 per cent) and Oldham Academy North in Royton (47 per cent to 35 per cent). The latter failed to meet the Government’s 40 per cent target.

Crompton House deputy head teacher Jim Upton said there had been a drop in English results, now being addressed.

“The bulk of students took the exam in year 10 and that cannot happen any more because the early-entry rules have changed. But that was only part of the reason,” he said.

“We analysed all sections of the exam and in a number of little areas we needed to get back on track. The important thing is we have acted on it. We have looked at our mock exams this year and we are confident we should be back up again.”

Oldham Academy North principal Colette Burgess said there had been outstanding individual exam results at her school, which was rated as good by Ofsted in July.

She added: “We moved to our new building two weeks before the GCSE exams began and that clearly had an impact on students and staff. It is a pattern seen in other schools in the year they move.

“We are of course very disappointed that our results have dipped but we have taken firm and decisive action to ensure we are firmly back on track. We expect our 2014 results to increase significantly.”

Across Oldham, results rose from 55.9 per cent to 57 per cent, below the national average of 59.2 per cent.

The tables also show the proportion of pupils who achieved the English Baccalaureate standard of an A* to C in English, maths, two sciences, a language and either history or geography. Hulme is top in Oldham with 58 per cent.

Saddleworth tops the borough for the other key measure, the value added score which looks the progress made by individual pupils.

At A-level, Blue Coat School, Oldham, has the highest point score per student.


Full tables in the eChron and print editions