Only one Isle of Wight School hit the national average with its GCSE results this year — the rest were below, or well below, average.
Figures published this week by the Department for Education also show 46 per cent of 16-year-olds on the Isle of Wight failed to pass their English and maths GCSEs. As reported yesterday, 489 students are now facing compulsory resits in June next year.
A total of 1,070 students took their GCSEs this year, with exams graded on a scale from 1 to 9.
Highest and lowest
Cowes Enterprise College was ranked the best school on the Island, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.6. The Attainment 8 score is based on students’ overall results in up to eight exams, includng English and maths.
At the bottom of the Isle of Wight league table were the Isle of Wight Studio School, with an Attainment 8 score of 31.1, and Carisbrooke College, with 33.8.
Comparisons
The national average for state funded schools in England was 46.4.
Fifty per cent of Cowes students achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared to 23 per cent at Carisbrooke and eight per cent at the Isle of Wight Studio School.
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The Island Free School, Ryde School and the Priory School did not submit their results to the government. As schools run independently of the Isle of Wight Council, they were not obliged to.
High pass rates at Ryde School
Headmaster of Ryde School, Mark Waldron, told OnTheWight,
“Ryde School was delighted with a pass rate of 96% at English Language and 92% Maths this summer at GCSE, with over half of our English Language results and 47% of the Maths results being at Grade 7 or above (the equivalent to A or A* in the old system.) 86% of our pupils achieved 5 or more A* to C (9-4) grades including Maths and English.
“At Ryde School we have always been open about our exam results and the only reason they are not included in the Government statistics released this week is because our pupils take the IGCSE exams in Maths and English rather than GCSE, as is the case for most independent schools in the UK. These are accepted by universities like any other GCSE but the Government refuses to include them in league tables.”
Parr-Burman: “The children deserve better”
Executive headteacher and head of Carisbrooke College, Matthew Parr-Burman said:
“In amongst the poor set of results there were some really excellent individual results.”
He said the results were not unexpected and admitted:
“The children deserve better.”
Mr Parr-Burman said previous recruitment issues and changes at the school, which may have adversely affected the results, had since been resolved.
He added:
“We want to be amazing, and there is no reason we can’t get there. We have put in a lot of changes to core subjects and have moved sites.”
Article edit
Comment from Ryde School added
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some additions by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: comedynose under CC BY 2.0
