Rotherham GCSE stars buck the national trend

Nationally, the pass rate dipped by 1.3 per cent, but Rotherham’s 3,420 students recorded their highest grades to date with 64.6 per cent achieving 5A* to Cs (including English and maths)— up four per cent from 2012.

Overall, 86.4 per cent of students achieved passes at 5A* to C, an increase of 2.2 per cent.

The national average for 5A*s to Cs (including English and maths) now stands at 68.1 per cent.

Among the biggest rises at schools in the 5A* to C (including English and maths) category were Thrybergh (17.4 per cent), Dinnington (16 per cent),  Wales (11.8 per cent), Saint Pius (10.9 per cent), Wickersley (8.5 per cent) and Wath (6.8 per cent).

Top scores came from Winterhill pupil Bethany Harcourt who celebrated 11A*s and 2As, Dinnington Comprehensive School’s Ronan Swift picked up 11A*s, Madeline Otter of Oakwood High School gained 10A*s and 1A, Ashleigh Weir of Wales High School recorded 11A*s, Wath Comprehensive’s Abigail Sherwood was granted 10A*s and there were a number of top scores at Wickersley School and Sports College; Cherry Man, 12A*s and 4As, Shirley Ngan 12A*s and 3As, Julia Li 11A* and 3As, Jennifer Massingham 11A*s and 2As, Olivia Brierley 10A* and 3As, Mariya Ghafoor 10A*s and 5As and Umamah Yusufi 10A*s and 3As.

Swinton Community School recorded its best GSCE results to date, improving for the third year in a row and at Maltby Academy, 71 per cent of students achieved the benchmark 5A* to Cs including maths and English.

Swinton headteacher David Pridding said: “I am really pleased for the students, their families and the teachers who taught them.

“After the big move forward we made two years ago it is always difficult to make further improvements, but this year again the students have managed to set a new record for the school.”