Celebration time as Manchester GCSE results hit new record

Young people across Manchester are celebrating today as schools report record provisional GCSE results.

Early indications are that the proportion of pupils achieving the key benchmark standard of 5 or more good GCSEs has reached 60% for the first time in Manchester - up from 57% last year.

Councillor Sheila Newman, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Children's Services, said: 'I'd like to congratulate our young people and schools for their achievements of today.

"These record results are the reward for many years of hard work and reflect the excellent support pupils have received from their families and schools.

"We can be safe in the knowledge that the future of the city is in good hands. These young people will be moving into further learning, training and employment in Manchester well-equipped to make their mark on the growing economy of our city.'

Two-thirds of schools have reported improvements or sustained performance at last year's record-breaking levels.

King David High School has once again achieved the highest results in the city, with the most significant gains made by schools that have previously achieved below key benchmarks.

Loreto High School in Chorlton and Parklands High School in Wythenshawe report double-digit gains that have seen results exceed the Government's key benchmark of 5 or more GCSEs at grade A* to C, including English and maths.

Provisional overall results for the city show that the proportion of students achieving five or more grades A* to C including English and maths is steady at 37%, with the proportion gaining five or more grades A* to C in all subjects up to a record 60% from 57% last year.

Comparisons with national performance will not be possible for some weeks when all results have been collated.