Islington now ranks in the top 20 in the country for boosting pupils’ attainment, new figures released this week reveal.
Islington has been ranked 18th out of 151 local authorities for the academic progress made by pupils between the end of primary school and their GCSE results across eight key subjects.
This represents a radical transformation in the performance of Islington’s schools. In 2008, the borough ranked in the bottom 20 local authorities for its GCSE results.
Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council, says: “We now have some of the best schools in the country that are helping young people in Islington progress faster than many other areas.
“These results are a ringing endorsement for the quality and high standards in our schools, and are a testament to the hard work of all teaching and support staff, as well as the pupils themselves.”
New figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that Islington pupils’ GCSE results are far ahead of the national averages in several key subjects. 64.2% of pupils gained a grade C or better in GCSE Mathematics and English Language or English Literature. These compares with 59.3% in England, a new measure introduced this year.
Some 58.7% of Islington pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and Mathematics, up by 0.8%. This was again above the national rate, which fell by 0.3% to 53.5%.
The Progress 8 score showed that Islington pupils’ GCSE results were almost one-fifth of a grade better than their peers nationally in 2016.
The figures also build on the progress in primary schools. Recent DfE figures revealed the performance of disadvantaged children in Islington primary schools for reading, writing and maths combined last year was the 11th best in England.