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Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Inequalities in GCSE results stubbornly persistent as education secretary acknowledges 'appalling' attainment gaps for white working-class children
As over one million students receive their GCSE results, Sky News has found gender and factors linked to deprivation remain troubling predictors of students' performance. Overall GCSE grades are relatively consistent with last year's results, indicating stability has returned following the end of pandemic grading. The compulsory courses, Level 2 English and Mathematics, continue to be a hurdle for many GCSE students - with Thursday's results showing the highest failure rates for the two subjects in a decade. Yet, while overall grades are stable, so too are key attainment gaps that experts say point to deprivation. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson denounced attainment gaps for white working-class children in an article for The Telegraph. "It's appalling, and I won't stand by and watch those numbers continue to grow," Ms Phillipson wrote. "It's not just the life chances of those children that are being damaged - it's also the health of our society as a whole." While the data does not share deprivation status or ethnicity of students, other strongly correlated factors such as English region and school type show stark inequalities. Some 48.1% of GCSE exams sat at fee-paying schools in England received grades of 7 or above, compared with 18.2% at non-selective state schools. Fiona Spellman, CEO of education charity SHINE, said, "The primary difference that drives the attainment gap between those who attend independent schools and those who don't really comes from the circumstances in those children's lives." Regional inequalities across England also remain significant. In London, 28.4% of GCSE exams were awarded a grade 7 or higher compared with just 17.8% of exams in the North East of England. But even students in London were outperformed by Northern Ireland, where 31.6% of GCSE students received a 7 or above. "Deprivation is a major driver of the gap we see between the different regions and in terms of the attainment children achieve in all phases of education," said Ms Spellman. This year's cohort had both a disrupted primary and secondary school experience due to the pandemic - a factor that may be influencing some of these inequality gaps. "We know that the pandemic affected all children, but we know that it didn't affect all children equally," added Ms Spellman. "The legacy of COVID is still very much still alive today and how that had a disproportionate effect on the children who most need support is still working its way through." Gender gap stubbornly persistent One of the clearest divides in the results - and not mentioned by the education secretary - is gaps based on gender. Girls continue to receive a greater proportion of the top grades compared with boys. Among students receiving a 7/A or above, 55.8% were girls while 44.2% were boys. In England, the gap is wider when looking just at 16-year-old students taking 7 or more GCSEs. 60.7% of those in this cohort receiving top grades were girls while 39.3% were boys. But, Jill Duffy, the chair of one of the main qualifications body, the OCR, pointed out the overall gender gap this year is the narrowest since 2000. However, Claire Thomson and Cath Jadhav, both board members of the Joint Council for Qualifications alongside Ms Duffy, cautioned that the decrease in the gender gap was too small to confirm any concrete trend. "The change is relatively small, at fractions of percentage points, so there will be lots of individual factors which affect that," said Ms Jadhav. Certain subjects showed large gender imbalances between boys and girls. Girls were the most overrepresented in home economics, followed by performing/expressive arts, health & social care, hospitality, and social science subjects. In contrast, boys were disproportionately more likely to take other technology, construction, engineering, computing, and economics. Working-class boys facing hurdles So, is Ms Phillipson right to highlight white working-class children as falling behind? And should we be more concerned about white working-class boys in particular? While the data does not include sufficient detail on how these inequalities stack on each other, data published by the Department for Education (DfE) based on last year's results suggest white working-class boys are among the most disadvantaged in education. Among all children eligible for free school meals, White British boys were much less likely to receive a grade of 4 - a pass - or above on their GCSEs. Black Caribbean and mixed white/black Caribbean boys on free school meals had similarly poor pass rates. "It's not all boys. And it's not all white working-class boys," said David Spendlove, professor at the University of Manchester's Institute for Education. But, "boys top all of those key indicators: likely to be diagnosed with special needs, likely to be excluded from school." "The system is stacked against them and at every single hurdle they are going to face challenges which mount increasingly over time," said Prof Spendlove. Beyond A-levels What's next for students receiving results on Thursday? According to DfE's 2024 numbers, just over 40% of 16-year-olds started an A-level course the following year. More than 20% started other Level 3 qualifications, such as T-levels or BTECs. Around 3.5% started apprenticeships. However, 6.2% were classified as not in education, employment, or training ("NEET"). Simon Ashworth, deputy CEO and head of policy for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), said, "The number of young people who are not in education, employment or training has got worse, not better." "We're nearly to a million young people who are NEET," he said. "That is a worry." Boys between the ages of 16 and 18 are more likely than their female counterparts to have NEET status, DfE data reveals. Furthermore, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds "tend to be the young people who will be closest to the job market or the risk of becoming NEET once they leave education," shared Mr Ashworth. Mr Ashworth also added that some young people who pursue apprenticeships fail to complete them because they struggle to pass mandatory Level 2 Mathematics. Students who receive lower-than-desired results on Thursday, however, should stay optimistic that many doors remain open to them. This year saw a 12.1% rise in students 17 or older resitting exams this year. SHINE's Dr Helen Rafferty said that the resit rate is likely due to the pandemic as "many students have come to the end of their secondary school journey having had the most chaotic and disrupted educational journey that you can imagine." Nonetheless, Ms Rafferty said, "I do think it's encouraging that so many students are choosing to move on to an educational pathway which still provides them with that opportunity to get their English and maths results."
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Nicholas Bomford obituary: Harrow headmaster
Early in 1990, Nick Bomford, then the headmaster of Uppingham, was seated at lunch next to a colonel of Marines who happened to be an old boy. Both agreed they had enjoyed their careers but had reached their ceiling. On his return home that evening, however, Bomford found a letter waiting from Sir Robin Butler, the cabinet secretary — and the chairman of the governors at Harrow. Bomford's wife, Gilly, had bet her husband £50 that Eton or Harrow would one day come calling. He had happily accepted, being certain, as he wrote in his memoir, The Long Meadow (2013), that 'wild horses would not drag me to either'. He had formed an 'unfavourable impression of Harrovians' but soon came during his eight years as Harrow's headmaster, from 1991 to 1999, to regard his earlier belief as entirely unfounded. Indeed, by the end of his tenure he had concluded his charges were 'almost without exception … charming, stimulating and talented young men in whose company it was a pleasure to live and work'. That assessment reflected no little credit on the decent, quietly effective Bomford, whose sympathetic personality let the pupils' own qualities emerge. Bomford was asked to build on the work of his predecessor, the former rugby international Ian Beer, who had reinvigorated Harrow after some years in the doldrums. Although not without strength of purpose himself — against opposition in the staff room, Bomford pushed through an increase in the number of GCSEs each boy would take — his more gentle character, giving all to the task in hand, was well suited to a necessary period of consolidation. He soon came to master the private language and quirks of a school, founded in 1572, that still derived its milk supply from its own herd of cows. During school hours, he made sure to wear his mortar board when out and about, so that he could return the doffing by boys of their own straw boaters. Passers by 'looked on in amazement at our antics'. Not that he was afraid to break with tradition. He solicited more funds for scholarships, appointed the school's first psychologist and its first female 'beaks' (teachers). Bomford also oversaw the restoration of the school library and the construction of its first purpose-built theatre, the Ryan. Benedict Cumberbatch, then a pupil, gave early notice of his abilities in a performance there of The Browning Version, written by Terence Rattigan, himself a Harrovian. Bomford's counterpart at Eton, Eric Anderson, once noted that the real headaches for a headmaster were caused not by the boys but by the staff. The truth of this was borne out in 1998, when a master was found to have embezzled £35,000 from parents who had paid for a school trip he had organised to east Africa. After being arrested, the man was formally sacked by Bomford. 'Harrow will pay!' was his Parthian shot on leaving the headmaster's study. Bomford regretted not being quick enough to reply that the school had already done so, having had to settle with the travel company. The teacher was subsequently convicted at trial, despite his claim that such dishonesty was rife among his colleagues. Bomford wrote to The Times to express his full confidence in the integrity of the beaks. Yet while he proved adept at dealing with the hazards of his post — the entourage, for example, of the Crown Prince of Thailand, and a parent crawling across Bomford's study on their knees to fill the master's pipe — he became less enamoured of the modern, target-oriented approach to running a school. In his valedictory speech, he said his aim in retirement would be to take his cue from Izaak Walton: to study, be quiet and go a-angling. Nicholas Raymond Bomford was born in the family farmhouse in 1939. His forebears had worked the land in the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire, since the 16th century. His parents, Ernest, known as 'Hercs', and Pat had met when his mother, who came from a more prosperous background, had been a temporary secretary at the farm. At Kelly College, Devon, to which Bomford won a scholarship, he was regarded as something of an oddball since he played the violin and listened to Gilbert and Sullivan. Nevertheless, he also enjoyed country sports, and while at Trinity College, Oxford, where he read history, captained the university rifle club. He was also selected several times to shoot for England. After taking the Oxford team on tour to Kenya, he stayed on for a time. Short of money, he approached the ministry of education, which placed him in a primary school. So began his teaching career. Back in England, he taught for a time at Bedales junior school, which took much the same approach to discipline as did its senior counterpart. When pupils threw stones at him, they were admonished on the grounds that history masters were hard to find. He then lectured at Britannia Naval College, Dartmouth, enjoying opportunities to sail the coast of Devon and Cornwall. Bomford moved on to Wellington College, where he was to be a housemaster for six years. In 1966 he married Gillian Reynolds, who survives him with their two daughters: Kate is a lecturer, and Rebecca a child therapist. In retirement, Bomford was a governor of Sherborne Girls School and chairman of the Usk Rural Life museum in Monmouthshire. In 1977, he was appointed head of Monmouth School where he maintained its academic standards while bringing to bear, when required, a civilising influence. On one occasion his secretary told Bomford that there was a call for him from a pub called the Duke of Beaufort. He soon intuited that the voice on the line was the real thing. His Grace had telephoned to complain that two members of the school's cadet force, out on exercise, had helped themselves to the bottles of beer that his ghillie had left cooling for him while he fished. The miscreants soon found themselves learning how to compose a letter of apology to a duke. In 1982 Bomford became headmaster of Uppingham in Rutland. He considered his chief achievement there to have been the doubling of the numbers of girls in the sixth form. One characteristic of his headships was the support that he gave to school libraries, with Uppingham being no exception. Bomford also offered a job to a notably energetic Australian temporary teaching assistant, but Hugh Jackman chose to pursue his dream of being an actor. Nicholas Bomford, headmaster, was born on January 27, 1939. He died on June 21, 2025, aged 86
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Britain's strictest head teacher celebrates as school in one of London's most deprived boroughs gets best ever GCSE results
Britain's strictest head teacher is celebrating record GCSE results for her pupils in one of London 's most deprived boroughs. Katharine Birbalsingh said her outstanding results were 'social mobility at its best' as her students beat the odds. Every pupil at Michaela Community School in Wembley passed both English and maths with grade 4 and above - for the first time ever. In addition, an incredible 80 per cent of all GCSE grades at the school were 7 to 9 -equivalent to the old A-A*. And nearly 40 per cent achieved five or more grade 9s. Despite serving one of London's most deprived communities, Michaela consistently beats those serving the most privileged. Last year, it had the country's top 'Progress 8' score - measuring how well pupils do compared with prior attainment. Its success has been attributed to its tough discipline, 'no excuses' approach, with all new students taking part in a behaviour 'boot camp'. I just love how much he clearly LOVES his teachers! ❤️❤️ And how much they love him!! ❤️❤️ — Katharine Birbalsingh (@Miss_Snuffy) August 21, 2025 Britain's strictest head teacher is celebrating record GCSE results for her pupils in one of London 's most deprived boroughs (pictured: Katharine Birbalsingh) Miss Birbalsingh has accused the Government of 'Marxism' this year following a move to curb the freedoms of academies like hers. Posting her maths and English results on X this morning, she said: 'GCSE results are OUT! First time we have achieved this! Congratulations to everyone! Social mobility at its best! 'Just so lovely… kids at all levels achieving well beyond what the stats say they should get! Michaela is a special place.' She also posted that 99 per cent of all GCSE grades were 4 to 9, equivalent to C to A* under the old system. And 97 per cent were 5 to 9. It came as pupils across the country were yesterday celebrating another top grades bonanza as one in five GCSE entries got at least a grade 7 or A following a rise on last year. However, nationwide, the GCSE pass rate for English and maths has hit a record low, amid fears that some pupils are being left behind. This morning, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretrary, said white working class children in particular were some of the least likely to hit these targets. She said they have been 'let down' as previous analysis shows four fifths of this demographic fall short in the two core subjects. Hundreds of thousands of pupils are travelling to schools today to collect their GCSE results. For all pupils of all demographics, the proportion getting top marks in England is the highest since 2012 outside of the abnormal pandemic years – while for the UK it is the highest in two years. It was good news for boys, who have been behind girls in getting top grades since the 1980s, but narrowed the gap this year. However, the explosion of top grades means competition will be rife for sixth form places, especially at the most selective institutions. Ofqual, the regulator for England, insisted the change was not significant and that results are 'stable'. Proud parents join pupils at Solihull School in Solihull, West Midlands But critics suggested the results show grade inflation may be making a come-back, following years of attempts to suppress it. Key figures The proportion of entries receiving the top grades has risen from last year and remains higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 21.9% of entries were awarded grade 7/A or above, up slightly from 21.8% in 2024 and higher than 20.8% in 2019. Some 67.4% of entries received a grade 4/C or above. This is down from 67.6% last year but higher than 67.3% in 2019. The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9%, unchanged from 2024 and below 98.3% in 2019. This is the lowest 1/G figure for two decades, since 97.8% in 2005. The longstanding lead enjoyed by girls over boys for the top grades has narrowed again. The proportion of total female entries awarded grade 7/A or above was 24.5%, 5.1 percentage points higher than total male entries (19.4%). This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since at least the year 2000, which is the earliest available archive data. Last year, girls led boys by 5.7 percentage points (24.7% girls, 19.0% boys). The gap at grade 4/C has also narrowed. Some 70.5% of all female entries were awarded 4/C or higher, compared with 64.3% for boys, a lead of 6.2 points. This is the narrowest lead for girls at 4/C since at least 2000. Last year the figures were 71.0% for girls and 64.2% for boys, a lead of 6.8 points. Across the regions of England, London saw the highest proportion of entries awarded grades of 7/A or higher. In London it was 28.4%, down from 28.5% in 2024, while north-east England had the lowest (17.8%, unchanged on last year). The gap between these two regions now stands at 10.6 percentage points, down slightly from 10.7 points in 2024. The distribution of top grades varied by UK nation. Some 31.6% of entries in Northern Ireland received 7/A or higher, above the equivalent figure for England (21.8%) and Wales (19.5%). The subject with the most entries this year was the science double award. This has been the case since its introduction in 2018, with a total of 989,264 entries, up 0.9% on 2024. Because this is a double award, each entry for the subject is awarded two grades. Maths remains the subject with the second largest number of entries, with 893,198 this year, up 1.7% on last year. English language ranks third, with 866,023 entries, a rise of 2.4%. Among subjects with more than 100,000 entries, Spanish had the largest percentage increase in entries this year, up 2.6% from 133,395 in 2024 to 136,871 in 2025, overtaking French for the first time. Among subjects with fewer than 100,000 entries, statistics jumped by 9.5%, from 31,844 entries in 2024 to 34,879. Overall, there were 6,160,034 GCSE entries, down by 0.4% on last year's figure of 6,186,879. Alan Smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: 'Top grades are up again, small percentage, but an extra 6,160 on last year and nearly 70,000 more than the 2019 level, even though the education of the young people has been so disrupted. 'It has to be a shift in standards by the exam boards and regulators.' Grade 7 in England is equivalent to the old A, which is still used in other UK nations, which have different systems. Today's figures show the proportion of entries across the UK getting A/7 rose for a second year running by 0.1 percentage point from 21.8 to 21.9. This is not as high as 2023 but is higher than 2019, before the pandemic, when it was 20.8. For England only, grades also rose by 0.1 percentage point from 21.7 to 21.8. Discounting the pandemic years of 2020-2022, when grades were wildly inflated due to teachers deciding marks, this is the highest proportion since 2012. Today's figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover GCSE entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Despite the good news for top grades, there was a decrease in those getting the more average grades. The proportion of entries getting at least a 4 or a C grade – considered a 'standard pass' – fell from 67.6 per cent in 2024 to 67.4 pe cent this year – a drop of 0.2 percentage points, but higher than 67.3 percent in 2019. And this year boys made a surprise leap forward having been consistently behind girls since 1989. They are still behind in terms of getting top grades, but the gap them and girls is at the narrowest point this century. Nearly a quarter – 24.5 per cent – of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 7/A compared to almost a fifth of boys' entries – 19.4 per cent – a 5.1 percentage point gap. This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since at least 2000, which is the earliest archive data available. Meanwhile, 70.5 per cent of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 4/C compared to 64.3 per cent of boys' entries – a 6.2 percentage point gap. The overall rate for grades 1/G or above is 97.9 per cent, which is the same as 2024 but is down on 98.3 per cent in 2019. Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, England's exams regulator, said this year's GCSE results are 'stable' in comparison to the past two years – when grading returned to pre-pandemic levels in England. He said the differences this year are 'natural variation' that would be seen between any year. Sir Ian said: 'The standard of work required to achieve a grade seven or a grade four at GCSE is the same this year as it was last year, and what we're seeing is statistically insignificant changes at those key grades from last year to this year. 'That means basically that the underlying pattern, the underlying standard of performance amongst students from last year to this year, is stable.' On the gender gap, Sir Ian added: 'What we see today in the results is a very small apparent narrowing of the gap in performance between boys and girls. 'It's important for people to understand that there is still a gap in the performance of boys and girls, but what we can say is that it doesn't appear to be growing at the moment.' In England, Ofqual brought GCSE grading standards back in line with pre-Covid levels in 2023 and exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland returned to pre-pandemic grading last year. The move came after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Many of the pupils who are receiving their GCSE results this summer were in Year 6 when schools closed because of the pandemic. Education leaders have warned that these pupils, who moved from primary to secondary school in the middle of the pandemic, have faced a series of challenges – including school attendance issues and cost-of-living pressures. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this cohort of students had shown 'remarkable resilience' despite the disruption to their education. However, today's data shows just 58.3 per cent of all pupils across the UK passed their maths GCSE this year, down from 59.5 per cent last year to reach the lowest level since 2013. Meanwhile, the pass rate for English dropped 1.7 percentage points to hit 60.2 per cent this summer, matching a previous low for the subject in 2016 and marking the worst result since 2004. Falls in both subjects were driven by a surge in the number of children retaking them and failing aged 17 or over, since pupils that fail are required to resit them if they stay on for sixth form. Mrs Phillipson warned this morning that failure to ensure children leave school with solid English and maths skills was holding Britain back. She told the Daily Telegraph: 'It's appalling, and I won't stand by and watch those numbers continue to grow. 'It's not just the life chances of those children that are being damaged – it's also the health of our society as a whole. Swathes of human capability and productivity lost. 'While this country is a good place to go to school, good isn't good enough. 'The images on television and the headline statistics we'll see this week mask the reality of a system that works for some children – even most children – but continues to let down tens of thousands more.' Grade 4 is considered a 'standard pass' and most jobs in the UK require this for both English and maths GCSE, although some require a 'strong pass' of grade 5 in the two subjects. The level of pupils failing to obtain a grade 4 in both subjects at GCSE has been steadily climbing for more than a decade, creating an explosion in the number of pupils required to resit them and a high failure rate among these children. Among the 16-year-old population in the UK as a whole, the standard pass rate for English language GCSE was 70.5 per cent this year – down from 71 per cent in 2024. Similarly, the proportion of pupils aged 16 passing their maths GCSE fell slightly to 71.1 per cent this year, down 0.1 percentage points compared to last year. But the overall rate was significantly squeezed by drastic pass rates among those retaking the subject aged 17 or over. Just 23.1 per cent of pupils who resat their English GCSE this year opened their results this morning to receive a standard pass, with the figure dropping to 18.2 per cent for maths. While the failure rates were broadly similar to 2024, there was a huge surge in the number of children retaking the subjects after failing last summer – up by nearly a fifth for English and by 10.8 per cent for maths. This meant almost 28,000 extra pupils retaking their English language GCSE this year and 21,000 for maths. The figrues will again increase pressure on the Government to re-think the resit system. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'These students experienced a great deal of disruption earlier in their time at school as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Success for shepherd A young shepherd set the baa high with her GCSE results when she arrived to collect them with her sheep, Kevin. Milly Johnson, 16, who has won awards for sheep-handling, brought along the North Ronaldsay sheep to pick up her results from Tarleton Academy near Preston in Lancashire on Thursday. She said: 'He's my best friend and he comes pretty much everywhere with me.' Milly said the four-year-old rare breed acted as a 'therapy sheep' to calm her exam nerves, and even accompanied her to the school prom, wearing a halter which matched her dress. As well as achieving the grades she was expecting - including two grade 7s and two grade 6s - Milly had another reason to celebrate. She received a phone call on Wednesday night to offer her a veterinary nurse apprenticeship at a farm vets. She and Kevin are also getting ready for the Young Shepherd of the Year competition in November which Milly has qualified for. The family were planning a meal at the pub to celebrate on Thursday night, although Kevin would not be able to join them. Milly joked: 'He's not old enough to drink beer yet.' The teenager regularly shows Kevin and this year won first place in the over-11s young handler's class at the Trawden Agricultural Show. Scott Parker, headteacher at Tarleton, which is part of the Endeavour Learning Trust, said: 'Milly's dedication, both academically and beyond the classroom, is exceptional. 'Her commitment to her interests and her ability to balance them alongside her studies speaks volumes about her character, work ethic and maturity. 'She is a fantastic role model for her peers and I've no doubt at all that she has a bright future ahead.' 'Schools strained every sinew to support those who have needed additional help to catch up and to tackle the lingering impact of the pandemic on attendance rates. However, it has not been easy, and the previous government did not put enough investment or focus into educational recovery. 'Disadvantaged students were often those most severely affected by the disruption of Covid and that has made it even more difficult to close gaps in educational attainment caused by socioeconomic factors. 'Those gaps are reflected in regional disparities evident once again in this year's results. 'Once again we see that the majority of students who retake GCSE English and maths in post-16 education under a government policy of mandatory resits continue to fall short of a grade 4 standard pass. 'It is utterly demoralising for these young people and there has to be a better way of supporting literacy and numeracy.' Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said the current GCSE resit policy is 'not fit for purpose'. He added: 'NAHT has long called for reform of the current policy that forces students into repeated resits, which is demotivating and ineffective. 'What is needed are more appropriate and engaging alternatives to GCSEs in English and maths at KS4.' While traditional A*-G grades are used in Northern Ireland and Wales, in England these have been replaced with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest. A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A. In England, many students who do not secure at least a grade 4 – which is considered a 'standard pass' – in English and/or maths GCSE are required to retake the subjects during post-16 education. Overall UK entries for GCSEs have dropped slightly – down 0.4 per cent on 2024, according to JCQ data. A breakdown of the data shows that while 16-year-olds still make up the vast majority of students taking GCSEs, entries from this group are down 1.4 per cent on last year. Entries from students aged 17 and over are up 12.1 per cent to 482,402 compared with 430,377 in 2024. Education leaders have called for the Government's policy of compulsory resits in the two subjects at GCSE to be scrapped. Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR exam board, said: 'Nearly a quarter of GCSE maths and English entries are resits. This is an all-time high. 'Less than a fifth of resitting students achieved the grade 4 they need to break out of the resit cycle. This is a resit crisis. 'Tinkering at the edges of policy won't fix this. We need fundamental reform to maths and English secondary education – especially at Key Stage 3 – to support those who fall behind in these crucial subjects.' She added of the gender gap: 'Boys are slowly catching up with girls, but the GCSE attainment gap remains significant.' More than 360,500 Level 1 and 2 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results have also been awarded to pupils. Students receive their GCSE results at Redmaids' High School in Bristol Pupils at Putney High School in London receiving their GCSE results Eesa Delaney, 16, a student at Harris Academy Merton, reacts as he collects his GCSE results Pupils at Solihull School in Solihull receiving their GCSE results Pupils celebrate at St Dominic's in Belfast Grade inflation was rife during the New Labour years, when officials repeatedly insisted that pupils genuinely were getting cleverer every year. Read More Governments have 'failed white working-class students' and UK is falling behind, Phillipson claims The proportion of top grades rose every single year between 2002 and 2011. However, after the Tories won the election in 2010 they instructed Ofqual to make sure the proportion getting these top grades remained roughly the same each year. This is adjusted slightly for the ability of each cohort, which is measured by sample tests earlier in the year. Roughly one in five have got A/7 grades over the last 15 years, but the pandemic frustrated the regulator's efforts because teacher assessment led to massive grade inflation. While grades have now been brought back down they are still higher than before the disruption. This morning's results also show Ireland's pupils performed better than other nations, part of a long-term trend. In terms of top grades, 31.6 per cent of students achieved at least a 7 or an A grade and above, compared to 31.0 per cent last year. Experts have previously attributed the trend to the fact that the nation has retained the grammar school system. In England, there are only 161 left, as most either turned into comprehensives or private schools over the course of successive Governments. The dismantling of England's grammar school system was due to criticism that selecting at 11 is unfair. However critics have said it has led to an erosion of standards. From warzone to straight 9 grades for brave Ukraine pupil Terrified and traumatised, Liza Minenko spent two weeks hiding in their basement in Kyiv before fleeing the Ukraine war with her family and pet dog Daisy. Arriving in the UK, she was lucky enough to be awarded a full scholarship at the prestigious £45,000-a-year Brighton College. Now, just three years later, she is celebrating after scooping seven grade 9s and one grade 8 in her GCSEs. It is an astonishing feat for the 16-year-old who was also given a special award for achieving 100 per cent in her Art GSCE. After being awarded a full 120 per cent scholarship, Liza threw herself into college life while making sure the war was in the forefront of everyone's minds. Ukrainian student Liza Minenko scored almost all 9 grades at Brighton College Lisa Minenko and other Ukrainian scholarship pupils at Brighton College with (on left) principal Richard Cairns She and her family are hoping recent talks of peace will come to fruition and they will be able to return to their home. Liza was one of 23 Ukrainian boys and girls given free places at Brighton College, including her siblings. Liza said she was delighted with her results but said the the war in Ukraine was never far from her thoughts. She said: 'You need a lot of strength to live in a country that is in a state of war. You also need a lot of strength when you have to leave behind your home country and everything and everyone you know. 'We need to keep reminding people that there is still a devastating conflict happening in our home country.' After opening her results she said: 'I was nervous, but I am happy. I have mixed feelings. I want to go back to Ukraine but we are all really scared to go back to Kyiv. I haven't seen my grandparents for years since the start of the war.' Ukrainian student Liza Minenko with her artwork The family lived in their basement in Kyiv for two weeks at the start of the war and were traumatised. They travelled across Europe along with their dog Daisy and finally made it to the UK. Liza's mother Luda Zburzhynska said: 'The war forced our family, like so many Ukrainians, to leave our home. We came to England for our children's education. 'But at the same time, it led us to Brighton College. This amazing school has become more than just an educational institution to us – it has been a place where we felt humanity, acceptance and warmth.' Liza hopes to go on and do well in the future and will be staying at Brighton College to complete her A Levels. Head Master, Steve Marshall-Taylor said: 'Among so much of which we can be proud today, this wonderful individual story shines brightly and highlights the privilege we have to play a small part in moments such as this.' Brighton College was quick to react when the war in Ukraine started, reaching out to the community to offer 23 scholarships, plus the support needed by these young refugees arriving into the UK, many of them alone. Following their record-breaking A-level achievements last week, pupils at Brighton College are once again celebrating — this time with the school's best-ever GCSE results. An astonishing 98 per cent of all grades were at 9–7 (A*–A), including 62 per cent at grade 9, and 89 per cent at grade 8-9 (A* equivalent). In total, pupils secured 1,300 grade 9s, with 59 pupils achieving a clean sweep of 9 or more grade 9s.
