Stage three results are among the best again (From Gazette Series)

Stage three results are among the best again

GLOUCESTERSHIRE'S young people have again gained top class results in national tests. Performance Tables for Key Stage Three, the tests for 14 year olds were published last week and Gloucestershire's results are again among the best in the country.

Results have risen in all three subjects and particularly in Science, where Gloucestershire's results rose at nearly twice the national rate of improvement. And Gloucestershire is in the top ten per cent of local education authorities for maths and science.

Some 73 per cent of pupils reached at least level five in English, 77 per cent in maths and 77 per cent in science. These results are well above national averages.

Percentages of Gloucestershire students achieving higher levels also exceeded national averages, particularly in maths, where 56 per cent of pupils achieved at least level six.

Overall the county is judged to have made good progress when the Key Stage Two results of pupils are taken into account. The county's Value Added score of 100.6 suggests that overall pupils made a little over a half term's more progress than pupils with a similar Key Stage Two starting point nationally. These results compare very favourably with other LEAs and Gloucestershire ranks 34th equal in English, 13th equal in maths and 11th equal in Ssience out of the 150 English education authorities.

Cllr Charmian Sheppard, portfolio holder for education, said: "These first rate results reflect the hard work of students, teachers and parents, whose support is so important.

"I extend my congratulations to all those involved, they can be pleased with what has been achieved. I would re-iterate test results are only one way of measuring how our children are progressing, nevertheless the latest tables prove just what a credit our children and staff in schools are to the county".