The largest gap on record between top GCSE grades awarded to pupils in London and those in north-east England has prompted warnings of a “continuing widening” in the north-south education divide.
School leaders in the north-east accused the government of “London-centric” policies, while Labour said it showed that “levelling up is dead and buried” through the failure to help disadvantaged communities.
More than 28% of entries by pupils in London were awarded grades 7 or higher, equivalent to an A or A*, compared with just under 18% of entries by pupils in the north-east.
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The gap in top grades between the two regions widened to more than 10 percentage points, wider than the pre-pandemic gap up to 2019 and the largest since the numerical grading system for GCSEs was introduced in 2014.
Schools North East, which represents more than 1,000 state schools in the region, said the results were evidence of “the disproportionate impact of the pandemic, and the failure of government ‘catch-up’ policies to impact on the most deprived regions”, with the north-east’s challenges being exacerbated by Covid and the cost of living crisis.
Chris Zarraga, the director of Schools North East, said: “It is clear that significant challenges remain, with education recovery policies too London-centric.
“If policy continues to be ‘one-size-fits-all’, we risk a continuing widening of the gap between the north-east and London. Recognition of the perennial contextual challenges, and the impact of the pandemic on more than just those students that had exams cancelled, is long overdue.”
Experts said one reason for the widening attainment gap could be attendance levels. Preliminary Department for Education figures show secondary pupils in London schools had the highest average weekly attendance between September last year and July this year, while those in the north-east, south-west and Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest absence rates.
Overall grades fell across England as regulators enforced a return to the pre-pandemic grading standards of 2019. Top grades were down more than four percentage points on last year, leading to disappointment for many pupils – with 22.4% of entries for 16-year-olds at grade 7 or above.
Among 16-year-olds, the three science subjects, chemistry, biology and physics, had slight falls in pass rates and top grades compared with 2019, as did Spanish.
Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said the results “are a testament to this government’s longstanding work to drive up standards and expanding opportunities for all in our education system”.Jo Saxton, the head of England’s exam regulator, Ofqual, said results were “back to normal” after the disruption of the pandemic and higher grades awarded in 2020 and 2021.
However, Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said the gaps “confirmed that Conservative promises to…
2023-08-24 14:03:26
Original from www.theguardian.com
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