Ulster Unionist Party Education spokesperson Sandra Overend MLA has praised the performance of Northern Ireland pupils after the publication of the GCSE results for 2015.
The Mid Ulster MLA said:
“Congratulations must go to the GCSE students who have done so well and also to the teachers, parents and carers who have helped prepare them for this important stage of their lives.
“What is again very noticeable is that when compared to England and Wales, the results in Northern Ireland are significantly better. Specifically, in terms of the percentage of exam entrants gaining the valuable A* - C grades, we are well ahead of England and Wales. Northern Ireland is about 10% ahead of the UK average, with 78.7 % of GCSE exam entrants gaining results from A* to C. The pattern in 2015 remains the same as in 2010, according to the official statistics published by the Joint Council for Qualifications.
“However, it is essential that GCSE results remain directly comparable between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. To this end, the Minister of Education must, as a matter of priority, initiate discussions with the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan MP, and also the Welsh Minister, to ensure that parity is maintained across the UK. The Ulster Unionist Party is very concerned that differences emerging as a result of reform in England, will, in a short time, make direct comparisons between the devolved jurisdictions meaningless.
“As it stands however, we know that significantly fewer pupils in Northern Ireland fail to achieve the benchmark 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths, than in England. This year’s figures have yet to emerge, but last year the school leavers’ statistics showed that 46.6% of pupils in all English secondary schools did not achieve that standard, compared to 36.5% of Northern Ireland pupils. We often talk about a long tail of underachievement, and of course that needs to be addressed, but we should not hesitate to accentuate the positive in our local results.”