GCSE results improve at every Brighton and Hove secondary school

Every state secondary school in Brighton and Hove reported better GCSE results today (Thursday 22 August).

The Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) recorded the biggest improvement, with 60 per cent of pupils achieving the benchmark five or more passes, including maths and English, with grades of A* to C.

And Cardinal Newman Catholic School recorded the best performance with 73 per cent achieving the benchmark level.

While performance improved across the board locally, the proportion of GCSEs earning at least a C grade nationally fell for the second year running to 68.1 per cent from 69.4 per cent.

The percentage of Brighton and Hove pupils achieving the benchmark five GCSE passes, including maths and English, with grades of A* to C has risen again.

It went up to 62 per cent this year from 56 per cent last year. In 2011 the figure was 53 per cent.

The following table shows the percentage of pupils achieving the government’s benchmark in Brighton and Hove in order of performance.

• Cardinal Newman Catholic School 73 per cent (up from 68 per cent last year)
• Blatchington Mill School 72 per cent (61 per cent)
• Dorothy Stringer High School 71 per cent (67 per cent)
• Hove Park School 65 per cent (60 per cent)
• Varndean School 63 per cent (56 per cent)
• Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) 60 per cent (39 per cent)
• Patcham High School 57 per cent (56 per cent)
• Longhill High School 50 per cent (45 per cent)
• Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) 46 per cent (41 per cent)

Councillor Sue Shanks, the chairman of the Brighton and Hove City Council Children and Young People Committee, said: “We’re pushing hard for excellence in all our schools.

“Our schools team has developed a new approach to school improvement over the last year.

“There’s a sharper focus on analysing performance data, getting schools to work more closely with each other and targeting support at where it is most needed.

“We think this has been a big factor in this year’s tremendous results and believe strongly that our new approach will help deliver further improvements in future.

“There is no room for complacency but with another strong set of primary results and 80 per cent of our schools now judged by Ofsted as good or outstanding there is room for optimism.

“I would like to congratulate staff and students at all our schools for their hard work and professionalism and in particular Portslade Aldridge Community Academy and Blatchington Mill for the exceptional progress they have made this year.”