Gap in top GCSE grades between London and North East widens

The regional disparities in results have sparked concerns among social mobility experts and leaders in the North of England.

Pandemic recovery policies have been ‘too London-centric’, an educational charity has suggested, after figures showed the gap in top GCSE grades between the capital and the North East has widened (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Pandemic recovery policies have been “too London-centric”, an educational charity has suggested, after figures showed the gap in top GCSE grades between the capital and the North East has widened.

Overall, 28.4% of GCSE entries in London were awarded a grade 7 or above this year, compared with 17.6% of entries in the North East – a gap of 10.8 percentage points.

Last year, the gap was 10.2 percentage points. It has increased every year since 2017.

Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, said: “GCSE results this year highlight the hard work and dedication of school staff in delivering ‘catch-up’ support to students. This support is vital in improving the opportunities for young people in our region.

“However, it is clear that significant challenges remain, with education recovery policies too London-centric.”

It is simply unacceptable that where someone is born should have such a big impact on their educational and life prospects

Professor Lee Elliot Major, University of Exeter

The gap between London and the North East has also widened at grade 4 and above.

The figures show 72.6% of GCSE entries in London were awarded a grade 4 or above this year, compared with 65.3% of entries in the North East – a gap of 7.3 percentage points.

Last year, the gap was 5.5 percentage points and in 2019 it was 6.8 percentage points.

Mr Zarraga said: “If policy continues to be ‘one size fits all’, we risk a continuing widening of the gap between the North East and London.

“Recognition of the perennial contextual challenges, and the impact of the pandemic on more than just those students that had exams cancelled, is long overdue.”

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Regional disparities in education outcomes have historically been driven by disadvantage and we are concerned that this may have persisted post-pandemic.

“The Government was right to extend pupil premium funding to 16- to 18-year-old care leavers in some local authorities but we now need to extend this to all disadvantaged children in the worst-affected areas.”

I think exam results are just holding up a mirror to what we see in society so that people can reflect on that and think about the support and interventions that are needed

Myles McGinley, exam board OCR

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: “The education playing field is becoming more unequal across the country.

“This year’s GCSE results confirm a worrying trend over recent years which has seen achievement gaps between London and the South East and the rest of the country widen.

“It is simply unacceptable that where someone is born should have such a big impact on their educational and life prospects.”

Addressing the regional gaps, Myles McGinley, director of regulation at exam board OCR, said: “It is not a big change from 2019. I think exam results are just holding up a mirror to what we see in society so that people can reflect on that and think about the support and interventions that are needed.”

Some 46.6% of GCSE entries at private schools in England were awarded grades 7 or above this year, down from 53.1% in 2022 and 47.2% in 2019.

In comprehensive schools in England, the figure was 19.1% – down from 23.2% last year, but up from 18.6% in 2019.

The gap in top grades between private schools and comprehensive schools was still 27.5 percentage points, but it has narrowed on last year.

Sir Peter Lampl, founder of social mobility charity Sutton Trust, said: “While it is encouraging that the gap between state and independent schools has narrowed, a considerable difference in attainment remains.”

Asked whether teacher-assessed grades during the pandemic favoured private schools, Jo Saxton, chief regulator of exams watchdog Ofqual, told the PA news agency: “Today’s results show once again that national exams – where the rules are the same for everyone and they are independently assessed and graded… that is the fairest way of determining grades and is levelling the playing field.”

Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said: “The drop in independent school 7-9 grades from 2019 to 2023 is statistically insignificant: students in independent schools have still achieved excellent results overall.”