Abandoned Grade I-listed manor house gutted by large fire
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they were alerted to the incident at Woolton Hall shortly after 8pm on Tuesday evening.
Residents were warned to keep doors and windows closed as crews tackled the fire at the three-storey stone-built building.
By 11.30pm, nine fire engines were on site, deploying hoses to combat flames on the building's exterior, a spokesman for the service stated.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: 'A multi-agency meeting has taken place with police and a building surveyor, who has assessed the building and advised it would be unsafe to commit firefighters to the interior of the building.'
Crews continued to fight the fire overnight, and the main body of the blaze was extinguished just before 2am on Wednesday.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service released an update at 7am on Wednesday morning, which reads: 'Fire crews continued to fight the fire overnight although having made good progress yesterday evening resources were scaled down to four fire engines and an aerial appliance.
'Crews damped down the scene with main branch hoses and hose reel jets.
'The main body of fire was extinguished just before 2am this morning and damping down and checking for hot spots continued throughout the night. Three fire engines and an aerial appliance remain at the scene.'
Photos at the scene show show the manor house's roof has collapsed as firefighters continue to dampen down the scene on Wednesday morning.
The hall, which is privately owned, was built in 1704.
Local campaigners have been calling for Woolton Hall to be saved for a number of years due to the condition of the building.
In 2019, fire crews were called to tackle a suspected arson attack in outbuildings and worked to prevent the blaze from spreading to the main building.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Aging U.S. railroad bridges are self-inspected and their findings are kept secret
The fire burned for about nine hours, billowing smoke and scorching the wooden trestles of a nearly 75-year-old railroad bridge that spans the Marys River in Corvallis, home to Oregon State University. Long after the flames died out, Michelle Emmons, a local environmental advocate, could still smell the noxious stench of charred creosote — a chemical preservative used to treat outdoor wooden structures. The bridge is owned by Portland & Western Railroad, which says it made repairs after the 2022 fire. Emmons wanted more. 'It was most alarming to us to see that there were still rail cars that were going over the bridge,' said Emmons, who co-leads the Willamette Riverkeeper, a local environmental nonprofit. 'It was only going to be a matter of time before there could possibly be an accident.' That time came nearly three years later on Jan. 4, 2025, when the Corvallis bridge collapsed beneath a freight train. One rail car fell into the river while another car dangled from the bridge and was partially submerged in water. Nearly 150,000 pounds of fertilizer spilled from the train into the river — a waterway already the focus of local environmental concerns. Officials from Portland & Western Railroad declined to be interviewed but emailed a statement about the company's actions after the fire. 'Some rail, crossties and bridge caps needed to be replaced,' wrote company spokesperson Tom Ciuba. 'It's important to note that cosmetic appearance and the smell of creosote do not necessarily signify structural damage to rail bridges.' An investigation by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University found railroad bridge safety across the U.S. is hamstrung by minimal government oversight and limited transparency. This leaves rail companies largely in control of inspecting and maintaining their own bridges — allowing them to keep most details about problems out of sight from the public. This system differs starkly from the approximately 623,000 bridges carrying cars and trucks in the U.S., which must be regularly inspected, with results made public. Among the Howard Center's investigative findings: — Only six inspectors from the Federal Railroad Administration are responsible for oversight of safety for 70,000 railroad bridges. — Roughly 10% of U.S. railroads have not had their bridge management programs audited by the FRA, 15 years after the rule on Bridge Safety Standards went into effect. — Some larger railroads, owned by companies with billions of dollars in annual revenue, have neglected installation of critical but sometimes costly safety features. — Even government officials have difficulty getting information about railroad bridge inspections. Portland & Western Railroad declined to allow Howard Center reporters to view bridge management plans or inspection records for the Corvallis bridge. 'Bridge inspection reports are not something we typically release to the public, as they are very technical in nature and should only be analyzed by bridge engineers,' wrote Ciuba. Railroad bridge accidents across the U.S. FRA data show 112 bridge-related railroad accidents dating back to 1976, or on average more than two incidents per year. Mike Rush, safety director for the Association of American Railroads, said in every bridge-related derailment investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the cause of the bridge collapse was something other than bridge structure. But a 2016 report from the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation found about three railroad bridge collapses per year over a seven-year period could be attributed directly to failing bridge structures. The inspector general cited FRA data that showed 'structural failures of railroad bridges caused 21 train accidents between 2007 and 2014.' The FRA data includes many railroad bridge incidents the NTSB never investigated. The safety board only investigates the most serious accidents – it did not investigate the collapse in Corvallis, Oregon. Of seven accidents involving railroad bridges the NTSB did respond to since 2010 include multiple examples where companies deferred important maintenance before derailments. In September 2015, a BNSF train derailed while carrying ethanol, a highly flammable liquid, at a bridge near Lesterville, South Dakota. NTSB investigators found almost 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) of ethanol leaked and caught fire, causing more than $1 million in damage. The safety board said 'BNSF was able to defer maintenance on the track' which, along with 'poor track structural support, increased the likelihood of rail failure.' In October 2023, a BNSF train derailed in Colorado, striking a nearby bridge that partially collapsed and killed a truck driver on the interstate below. NTSB investigators found a broken rail near the bridge approach caused the accident, related to an incorrect weld on the rail. After this incident, BNSF increased oversight of welding and began mandatory audits of every failed weld. In an email, BNSF said it meets all federal inspection requirements and the FRA has audited its bridge management plan 'many times.' In addition to allowing self-inspections of bridges, federal regulations require railroads to also oversee inspections of railroad track they own. But these track inspections do not have to be made public. In March 2017, a Union Pacific freight train derailed near a bridge in Graettinger, Iowa. Fourteen tank cars released approximately 322,000 gallons (1.2 million liters) of ethanol, sparking a fire and causing the evacuation of three homes. The NTSB faulted 'Union Pacific Railroad's inadequate track maintenance and inspection program and the FRA's inadequate oversight of the application of federal track safety standards.' In July 2020, a Union Pacific derailment near the Tempe Town Lake in Arizona prompted train cars to strike the bridge and cause a portion of it to collapse. A fire started and more than 2,000 gallons (7,500 liters) of flammable chemicals leaked. The NTSB determined that the absence of an inner guard rail, a second set of rails which could have prevented the derailed train from crashing into the bridge, contributed to the severity of the derailment. Union Pacific acknowledged, when questioned by the NTSB, it knew many bridges still needed the safety feature. 'The total number of bridges that require the inner guard rail is 635, and 218 do not have (the) inner guard rail installed,' Tomasz Gawronski, Director of Bridge Inspections for Union Pacific, said in his 2020 NTSB testimony. Gawronski said money may have been a factor. 'It's a rather costly effort, you know, to install the inner guardrails.' In 2020, Union Pacific reported operating revenues of $19.5 billion, with profits of $5.3 billion. Company spokesperson Robynn Tysver wrote in an email that Union Pacific has approximately 16,900 bridges that are inspected twice a year. Tysver did not answer follow-up questions, including when asked if the 218 bridges that still needed inner guard rails in 2020 had since had them installed. Too few staff and resources FRA rules require railroads to develop internal bridge management programs and conduct their own inspections. The FRA can audit these plans. But the audits are not occurring for all railroads. FRA spokesperson Warren Flatau said the agency audited bridge management plans for 677 out of approximately 755 railroad companies under a 2010 rule. That leaves one in 10 railroads without audits under current regulations. Flatau said the outstanding audits are all for Class III railroads, mostly smaller railroads with less revenue. He said smaller railroads change hands often, making oversight more difficult. The FRA's Bridge and Structures team now has just three bridge specialists and three structural engineers who oversee the railroads' self-inspections of 69,509 railroad bridges the FRA is aware of. 'It's shocking and just scary,' said Jared Cassity, a union leader with SMART TD, the largest railroad workers union in North America. 'When you think about six people and the number of bridges that exist in the United States of America, you cannot adequately perform… the oversight.' A new push for change In 2015, Congress passed the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), which requires railroads to release a small amount of general information about any bridge to government or elected officials who formally request the information. The required information does not include the year the bridge was built or information about the condition of key parts of the bridge like its deck or supports. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said officials who made requests found records 'were extremely redacted — so much so that it was almost a joke.' She plans to introduce legislation this year to force transparency. 'We want to create a public database where residents are able to just readily obtain the information regarding the safety of the bridges in their communities,' Lee said. Lee's initial attempt at rail bridge safety reforms in 2024 stalled, which she attributes to influence from railroad companies and their powerful lobbyists. 'It is not an issue that impacts one type of district — blue districts or red districts. This is an issue of national safety, of public safety, all across the country,' she said. ___ Reporters Matthew Bird, Mackenzie Miller and Justin Patton contributed to this story. It was produced by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, an initiative of the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of the late news industry executive and pioneer Roy W. Howard. For more, see Contact us at howardcenter@ or on X @HowardCenterASU.
Daily Mail
an hour 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.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
GCSE results: joy at Maesteg school, but Wales still lagging behind England
Mia Headington found out she had dyslexia the day before her first GCSE exam, but the diagnosis didn't faze her. Opening her results envelope on Thursday morning, the 16-year-old found out she had done much better than in her mock exams, achieving five A*s, an A, two Bs and a C. 'I am chuffed,' the Maesteg school pupil said. 'I didn't expect to do this well, although I'm going to resit the C in English Language. The essays were difficult. Now I know why!' Mia said she would stay on at the sixth form at Maesteg school in south Wales's Llynfi valley, and wants to go on to study dentistry at university. 'I'm so proud of her,' said her mother, Allison, wiping away tears. 'She was at school at 7.30am every day preparing coursework and revising … She arrived before the teachers sometimes.' About 180 Maesteg pupils arrived to pick up their GCSE results over the course of Thursday morning. Last week's A-level results were the school's best ever: GCSE attainment was not quite as high as expected, but the school had still 'held its own', the headteacher, Helen Jones, said. In Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSEs are still graded using letters A* to G while England uses numbers 9-1. Across Wales, GCSE grades were slightly up on last year, with 62.5% of pupils achieving A* to C, or seven and above, an increase of 0.3% compared with 2024. However, the country still lags behind England, where the percentage of top grades achieved was 21.8%, compared with 19.5%. The overall pass rate was 62.5% in Wales, compared with 67.1% in England. A major overhaul of Welsh school qualifications comes into effect in September. But there were more smiles than frowns in Maesteg on Thursday, where a banner reading 'We're so proud of you' greeted pupils outside the building, and screens inside the school hall cycled through photos from prom. Staff were on hand giving out 'golden tickets' – invitations to a 'what's next' event next week featuring careers and CV help, vocational training, practical advice and other support options for those unsure about the future. This year's GCSE cohort made the important transition from primary to secondary school in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Thursday's results are the first year that did not take 'lost learning' into account. Despite the disruption, Gethin Williams, Maesteg's top achiever with seven A*s and three As, said he didn't feel as though the year group missed out too much. 'I'm actually glad it was earlier and not during the later years when we had exams, that would have been harder,' he said. Ella Ronan, who got two A*s, five As and two Bs and will study biology, history, PE and psychology for A-level, said: 'I think we missed out more socially than the educational stuff. The teachers worked really hard to catch us up.' 'Today's success reflects how our teachers are all about raising aspirations and expectations,' said Jones. A new Welsh curriculum being rolled out in schools in 2022 will bring new challenges, she added. 'There is more focus on internal assessment, rather than exams, which is great for some learners, but will be more gruelling over a longer period of time for pupils and teachers,' she said. Brown results envelopes distributed, Maesteg's pupils, parents and teachers were ready to celebrate their hard work. The school's staff left together for a belated end-of-year lunch; Lara Davies, who got two A*s, said she and her friends were heading into Cardiff on the train for a day of shopping and sweet treats at Kaspa's Desserts. 'I was panicking this morning but I'm so relieved now,' she said. 'I'm really proud of all of us.'
