Gloomy statistics don’t tell full story

The statistics from a national perspective paint a depressing picture of GCSE achievement.

Year-on-year this was the biggest ever decline in performance, down to its lowest level since 2008.

But today is not a day to dwell on statistics, but to celebrate success.

And in our community there are no shortages of success stories when it comes to GCSEs.

While nationally there may have been a drop in performance (A* to C grades have declined from 69% to 66.9%), the smiling faces we feature today tell a very different story.

The statistics cannot speak of the hard work put in by pupils, staff and parents. Nor do the bare figures reveal the joy, satisfaction or pride felt by so many when getting the results they toiled to achieve.

The overall figures are for the authorities to pore over and tackle at a later date.

Today we celebrate stars like autistic youngster Alex Robson, who scooped a clutch of A* grades and schools like St Aidan’s, reporting brilliant results across the board.

To all students who collected their results, well done. We hope your GCSEs open a door to a bright future.