Record GCSE results for Ilkley Grammar School despite new tougher exams!

Ilkley Grammar School is today celebrating another outstanding set of GCSE results, further building on the excellent gains made in recent years since the introduction of the harder new style GCSEs. As well as best ever results at both grades 7+ and 4+, the school also expects to achieve its best ever progress score when this is released later in the Autumn Term.

Students have again excelled in the top grades with 42% of all GCSE entries being achieved at grades 7-9/A+ this year, a 4% increase on last year and 21% above national. 89% of all grades were achieved at grades 4/C+ and above, 22% above national and a 6% improvement on last year. Overall the pass rate this year was at a record 99.5%.

The school is also celebrating the success of a large number of students who have exceeded their targets across the curriculum and who are expected to achieve exceptionally positive ‘Progress 8’ (value added) scores; these reflect their outstanding achievement in relation to students nationally with a similar academic profile.

According to estimated Progress 8 scores, this year, more than 1 in 10 students achieved on average two or more grades higher than similar students nationally in every subject studied and have therefore achieved their Personal Best by significantly exceeding their targets. 

Helen Williams, Headteacher said, “Once again, IGS students have excelled, proving that their hard work and determination throughout their time at IGS have paid dividends. Despite only marginal improvements nationally this year, IGS’s result have taken another major step forward in many areas; this means that not only have more individual students achieved better than ever before but that the school has had its best ever showing overall at GCSE too.

Although at this stage we only have an estimated Progress 8 score – the new headline measure by which schools are held to account by the government – we are confident that this will be our best ever by some way and will place us in the very highest category of school achievement for the first time in our history, marking another milestone for IGS. Congratulations to everyone, and as always my thanks to our staff and parents for their support in helping our students achieve such fantastic results again!”

Record numbers of students will now enter Post 16 study at IGS in September as well as move on to other destinations such as apprenticeships and college. 

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