West Berkshire pupils above average at GCSE and A-Levels

But the district's performance last year has declined since the previous year, Government figures out today (Thurs) show

WEST Berkshire secondary school pupils scored higher than the national average in their GCSE and A-Level exams last year, but their performance overall has declined since the previous year.

The Department for Education has today (Thursday) released the league tables for GCSE and A-Level results for the academic year 2010-11, which show that the average pupil in West Berkshire achieved 754.1 points at A-Level or equivalent in 2010-11, compared to 728.2 points gained by the average pupil across state funded schools and colleges in England, and 745.9 points by the average pupil across all schools and colleges in the country.

However, in 2009-10 the district's pupils were achieving 764.9 points on average, 10.8 points more than last year.

The tables today also show that West Berkshire pupils are also gaining above average GCSE grades, with 60.1 per cent of the district's pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths, compared to 58.2 per cent at state funded schools in England and 58.9 per cent across all schools in the country.

But the district's performance at GCSE in 2009-10 was slightly better, as 60.7 per cent of pupils gained five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths.

Schools in West Berkshire with the biggest drop in the percentage of pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths, this year were the John O'Gaunt Community Technology College, Hungerford, and Little Heath School, Tilehurst; these schools showed an 11 per cent drop compared to the year before.

The percentage of pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths, at John O'Gaunt Community Technology College decreased from 59 per cent in 2009/10 to 48 per cent in 2010/11.

At Little Heath the percentage of pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths, fell from 67 per cent in 2009/10 to 56 per cent in 2010/11.

Trinity School, Newbury, achieved the biggest gain last year, with 59 per cent of pupils achieving 5 or more A* to C GCSEs, or equivalent, including English and maths, compared to 45 per cent in 2009-10.

All pupils at St Gabriel's School, Sandleford Priory, achieved five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths, but only 19 per cent of pupils at Padworth College.

At A-Level, Downe House School, Cold Ash, averaged the most points per pupil in West Berkshire with 1058.2 points, while Newbury College averaged the least amount of points per pupil in the district with 571.5, but this shows an improvement from 2009-10 when the figure was 532.3.

The biggest improvement at A-Level was at St Bartholomew's School, Newbury, where the average points per pupil last year was 873.2 points compared to 817 in 2009-10, an increase of 56.20.

The Downs School, Compton, was down 82.5 points last year however, the average points per pupil was 811.9 points compared to 894.4 in 2009-10.

For more on this story read next week's Newbury Weekly News.