GCSE 'IMPROVEMENT' LESS THAN SPUN

On 29 August I commented, "Last year the Island was 9% behind the national average for students getting 5 x A*-C GCSE grades. This year we are told that there has been a 2% increase in local performance - from 46% to 48%. We are not yet told what the national average is for 5 x A*-C grades, though we can probably assume at least a small rise of say 0.5% to 55.5%.That would still leave the Island 7.5% behind the national picture. At this rate it will take another 5 years to get overall performance comparable to the mainland.On the right track yes, but hardly at the right speed........"

Well it turned out the increased performance locally was to 47.3%, an annual increase of 1.5%, and that the national average is 57% - a difference of almost 10%. So the Island actually feel behind even further last year. So much for school improvement plans.....