Success for more than half of Denbighshire GCSE pupils

Aug 21 2008 By Paul Scott

MORE than half of pupils in Denbighshire have achieved five GCSE grades between A-C this year.

The education authority has confirmed 52.25% of Denbighshire students made the grade, beating the council’s target of 49% and improving on last year's results by 5%.

On top of that, 98.4% of GCSE pupils in Denbighshire’s eight secondary schools who took examinations in 2008 gained A*-G passes – a 0.7% improvement on the 2007.

The percentage of students achieving A*-C grades is 61.2%, an improvement of 2.6% on the 58.6% achieved in 2007.

The percentage of candidates achieving A* and A grades has also increased to 15.5%.

Councillor Hugh Evans, leader and cabinet lead member for lifelong learning said, "Firstly I would like to congratulate all students who have achieved the grades needed to further their education. These are positive results which show, along with the improved A level results achieved last week, that Denbighshire is moving in the right direction and is improving at a faster rate than the Welsh average. We plan to continue to do so.

"I also want to congratulate the schools and teachers on all their hard work during this challenging time. All schools have worked exceptionally hard. I must mention Blessed Edward Jones High School in Rhyl which has emerged from special measures in such an impressive way. It is the most improved school when compared with 2007, with a 30.85% increase in students achieving 5 or more A*-C grades.

"I would also like to reaffirm the council’s commitment to improving standards in education as we continue to make modernising education one of our top priorities."