The proportion of top GCSE grades handed out to 16-year-olds in England has dropped by 17 per cent, falling to near the same level as pre-pandemic 2019.
Overall, more than 184,000 fewer 9, 8 and 7 grades were awarded this summer, despite an increase in entries of more than 171,000.
This year, 22.4 per cent of grades issued were between 9 and 7, down from 27 per cent last year.
This summer’s top grades are 25 per cent lower than the peak of 30 per cent in 2021, when teacher assessed grades were awarded due to the pandemic.
The proportion of top grades is now within 0.6 percentage points of pre-pandemic 2019, when 21.8 per cent were at 7 or above.
Read the full article in Schools Week here.
Hundreds of English schools still at risk from crumbling concrete
Hundreds of schools in England are still at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete, according to previously unpublished figures. Official data, which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Thousands of young people placed in council care more than 20 miles away from home, analysis shows
A third of children in council care in 2023 lived over 20 miles away from their local area, school and family – around 4,600 people in total.
£600m boost for social care next year announced in Budget
Councils’ available spending to grow by an estimated 3.2% in real terms in 2025-26, with authorities also given £250m to test new approaches in children’s
