GCSE outcomes in Hackney ‘at or above’ last year’s, council says
Urswick pupils celebrate their GCSE results. Photograph: Hackney Council
Hackney Council has confirmed GCSE results in the borough were at level pegging or surpassed those in 2023, despite nationwide pass rates for English and Maths falling below last year.
A statement released by the Town Hall on results day in August said “in all but one of 16 schools”, 53 per cent of pupils gained a grade 5 or above in English and Maths, compared to the reported national figure of 46 per cent.
It added that the performance of Hackney’s schools was “above the national average” and remained “above pre-pandemic levels from 2019”.
A council spokesperson has since told the Citizen that outcomes for the borough are “at or above” 2023, and above those achieved in 2019.
“Generally, in every Hackney secondary school, over half the students reach[ed] a strong pass [Grade 5 or above] in GCSE English and Mathematics.”
They cited a one per cent increase in the number of pupils obtaining grade 4 or higher and those receiving grade 5 or higher for GCSE English.
Likewise, there was a one per cent increase in the proportion of pupils receiving level 5 or higher in GCSE Maths.
The spokesperson clarified that 2019 is used as a baseline as this was the last time before the pandemic that grades were based fully on examination.
“In 2020, 2021 and 2022, GCSE grades were based on teacher assessment rather than examinations, leading to increases on pre-pandemic levels, seen locally as well as nationally.
“During this period, accountability and benchmarking was suspended,” they said.
Qualifications regulator Ofqual this year told examiners to proceed with “back to normal” grading, following the end of a two-step process to return schools to pre-pandemic marking.
In August, the BBC reported that the regional results gap between the north and south of England had widened, with London remaining the best-performing part of the UK with 72.5 per cent of entries marked 4/C or above.