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Boys outperform girls in top A-level grades for first time in years
A record 255,130 18-year-olds in the UK have been accepted onto university or college courses, marking a 4.7 per cent increase compared to last year.
Boys outperformed girls in securing top A-level grades for the first time in seven years, while the overall pass rate also saw an increase.
Education leaders have highlighted a widening regional divide in results, with the gap between London and north-east England reaching its largest since 2010.
Officials confirmed that the standard of A-level grades has remained consistent since 2023, with this cohort achieving results that reflect a stable standard of achievement despite pandemic disruption.
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Ministers vow to tackle ‘entrenched divides' in A-level results
Ministers have vowed to tackle England's 'entrenched' educational gaps that are leaving some regions and groups trailing far behind their peers and closing off options such as university for many of their school leavers. A-level results published on Thursday showed an improving national picture, with a higher proportion of young people gaining top grades. But the improvements faded outside London, the south-east and big cities. While one in three entries from 18-year-olds in London gained A* or A grades, fewer than one in four did so in the north-east of England, where results remain below pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019. London's advantage means that the university application rate for its students remains considerably above all other English regions, even as record numbers of school leavers accepted offers to begin higher education courses this autumn. The Department for Education said that the results 'have exposed inequalities which continue to exist in the education system', which it aims to tackle in a schools white paper later this year. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said: 'Every single young person collecting their results should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams – whether that starts with further study, university, an apprenticeship or the world of work – but too often, opportunities depend on background rather than talent. 'The entrenched divide in outcomes seen over the last few years and the lack of progress for children from white working-class backgrounds is particularly concerning.' Carl Cullinane, director of research at the Sutton Trust, which campaigns to improve social mobility through education, said: 'If the government is going to break down barriers to opportunity, the growth in regional inequalities must be reversed. 'It's positive that increasing numbers of young people from the most deprived areas are getting into university. This is important, because gaining a university degree remains the surest route to social mobility. However, today's figures show the gap between the most and least deprived areas remains wide, and worse than before the pandemic in 2019.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'Schools and colleges face severe funding and staffing shortages, and these students were affected by the disruption of the pandemic earlier in their education. They have overcome the odds and we salute the fantastic efforts of our brilliant education staff. 'However, we continue to see big differences in attainment between regions, reflecting socioeconomic factors which represent a massive challenge, not only for the education sector but our society as a whole. 'We have to stop merely talking about these issues and actually address them with investment in communities suffering from generational disadvantage. This cannot be solved by schools and colleges alone but must also involve action to boost the opportunities available for young people.' More than 28% of entries in England gained an A or A* grade, while 9.4% gained the top A* grade, higher rates than in 2024 or 2019, the last year before the disruption of the Covid pandemic when 25.2% of entries received top grades. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Ofqual, the exam regulator for England, rejected accusations of grade inflation, saying that the increase in top grades was the result of fewer students taking A-levels, and young men in particular shifting towards subjects such as physics, maths and economics with greater success. Amanda Swann, Ofqual's executive director for general qualifications, said that 'any change in numbers achieving a grade is entirely due to a change in student performance, not a change in the standard expected', with this year's cohort of students appearing to be academically stronger than last year's. Results in Wales followed a similar pattern to England's, with declining numbers of students taking A-levels and top grades rising among the remaining stronger candidates. For the second year in row the proportion of A* grades rose, to 10.5%. In Northern Ireland, 8.7% of entries achieved an A*, compared with 8.2% in 2024, while 30.4% of entries achieved grades A* or A, fractionally higher than last year. More than 200,000 students across the UK also received BTec level 3 qualifications, but a breakdown of results was not available. One in five working-age adults in the UK has at least one BTec, although the popular qualification remains under threat from government policy in England. In England nearly 12,000 young people received results for T-levels, vocational qualifications first introduced in 2020 that have struggled to attract students. Although entries have increased substantially, T-levels remain less popular than A-level PE. The DfE also revealed that 27% of students originally enrolled on the two-year course dropped out or failed to complete it.
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Wolverhampton council rethinks plan to introduce premium on wider graves
A council has decided against introducing a premium on wider burial plots in Wolverhampton following condemnation that it was a 'fat tax'. Danescourt cemetery in Tettenhall had planned to charge an extra 20% to families whose loved ones need a 6ft-wide plot, as opposed to a standard 5ft grave. Wolverhampton council previously said the higher charge was in response to an increase in obesity levels in the Midlands city, where a third of people are obese, compared with the national average of just over a quarter. Councillors had approved the charges in May after consultation with local funeral parlours, but backed down on Thursday. Wolverhampton city council said: 'No formal decision was ever taken on plans to charge more for larger burial plots. This is a common practice taken by councils around the country, where higher charges cover the costs of providing a larger plot. 'However, while under consideration, we have decided not to proceed with the plans.' The council previously said it had contacted 25 funeral directors before introducing the measure, with only one of them posing an objection. Local authorities in Telford, Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and Staffordshire have implemented charges for wider coffins. One of the first councils to introduce higher fees for larger graves was Houghton Regis town council, Bedfordshire, in 2009. A survey by the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors of its members across the UK found a quarter of local authorities charged extra for wider burial plots. There was also concern in Wolverhampton for couples who wanted to be buried together, but where one was already buried in a standard plot while the other needed to be buried in a larger grave. Prior to Wolverhampton council backing down over the contentious proposals, funeral director Ross Hickton told the BBC the charge was a 'fat tax' and that it was 'not really acceptable or fair', adding: 'You know people have paid into the system their entire life, paid their council tax to Wolverhampton council, and for them to be told [the grave is] 20% more because of the size of their loved one, it's not really acceptable or fair.' Matthew Crawley, the chief executive at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said the charge seemed reasonable. 'You have a finite amount of space to work with; therefore if you need to eat into a grave next door, say, then that needs to be accounted for,' he said. 'You also have to account for the idea that digging the grave itself will also need extra equipment to keep it safe.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion In January, the National Association of Funeral Directors said the width of the average coffin had increased in the past decade from between 18 and 20 inches to between 20 and 24 inches. Wolverhampton resident Rosemarie McLaren had said she felt the plan was 'discrimination, it's not acceptable'. She told the BBC: 'Someone like me who's a bit bigger, is going to be charged [more] because I'm fat.'
