New government figures show the number of students achieving five or more A* – C GCSE grades on the Isle of Wight has risen, but the Island is still some way below the national average. The latest revised Key Stage 4 results for the 2006/07 educational year shows 52.7% of students here gained five or more A* – C grades, a rise of 4.8% compared to the previous year, giving the Island an average above 50% for the first time.
However, the national average is 62% meaning the Island is almost 10 percentage points below. The number of students here gaining five or more A* – C grades including English and Maths has risen 5.3% to 42.1%. The national average in this category is 46.7%, placing the Island 4.6 percentage points behind. Despite this, the Island is ranked 9th in the country for sustained improvement in the number of students gaining five or more A* – C grades including English and Maths over the last three years.
There has been a good improvement in the percentage of students gaining five or more A* – G grades which have risen 3.3% to 92.1% compared to a national average of 91.7%. There remains a concern about the number of pupils who have left compulsory schooling with no GCSE or equivalent qualification. This currently stands at 3.2% compared with the national average of 2.2%.
The figures have been released less than a week before Isle of Wight Council launches its latest round of consultation on three options to reform the Island’s education set-up. The consultation period begins on 14 January and lasts until 22 February. A final decision on which of the three options will be implemented will take place on 19 March. Full details of the options can be found on the council’s website www.iwight.com.
Isle of Wight Council Cabinet member for Children & Young People, Cllr Alan Wells said “I offer my congratulations to students and school staff and I am pleased with the rise in average GCSE pass rates. However, the Island is still too far below the rest of the country. This is not acceptable and the figures reinforce the council’s plans to reform the education set-up on the Island as a major step to improve standards.”
A consultation booklet is being posted to every parent on the Island ahead of the first of a series of public information evenings. The first meeting is being held at 1900 at Osborne Middle School on 24 January. The booklet contains detailed information for each of the options, including how and whether each existing school site will be used. A dedicated consultation website will be launched after 1800 on 14 January via www.iwight.com
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