Worth the wait
THE long wait for thousands of teenagers across Greater Manchester was finally over as they collected their grades on GCSE results day.
There were tears of joy at schools across the region as students opened those all important envelopes – with more than a few impressive performances.
Teachers and pupils had previously voiced concern over the new, ‘tougher’– style exams in English and maths.
This year’s pupils were the first to have their exams marked under the grading system of nine-to-one, with nine being the highest mark attainable and four being roughly equivalent to a C grade under the old system.
Nationally, the overall pass rate dipped across a number of subjects. The English literature pass rate fell 2.5 percentage points to 72pc, but in maths it rose from 61.5pc to 68pc. Education in Manchester bosses said it was difficult to compare this year’s figures like for like to 2016’s due to changes in the grading system.
However they did say the picture across schools in Manchester was ‘positive’ and ‘encouraging.’
In Manchester, 54.5pc of pupils achieved passed with grades 4 or above in English and Maths.
Broken down, 67.4pc of pupils achieved grades 4+ in English and 60.1pc in maths.
Coun Luthfur Rahman, lead member for schools for Manchester council, said: “It’s been a challenging year for schools and pupils with the changes we’ve seen in all exams, particularly in the new maths and English exams.
“Despite this we’ve seen some great individual results in schools across the city and it’s clear the hard work of staff and of course pupils themselves has really paid off.”
Among the pupils celebrating one or more grade 9s across the city were Florence Jones and Obera Safdar of Levenshulme High School, Roy Fitzgerald of Loreto High School, Arbab Ali Choudhry of Manchester Creative Academy, Matthew Kilpatrick, Kate Pickup and Lewis Grey of Parrs Wood High School and Amelia Taylor and Ella Prais of King David High School.
High-flyer Arbab Ali Choudhry’s three grade 9s, in maths, English language and English literature make her one of only 2,000 students in the country to have scooped the triple.