Commenting on the publication of GCSE results for pupils across England, Wales and Nothern Ireland, Louis Hodge, Associate Director for School System and Performance at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said:
“As expected, today’s results represent stability with outcomes similar to what we saw last year. This follows two years of falls as the grading system unwound the effects of the pandemic when the use of centre and teacher assessed grades led to large increases in grades in 2020 and 2021.
“While outcomes are now broadly the same as they were in 2019, it is important to remember that students receiving their results in GCSEs, BTecs, and other vocational qualifications today have had their secondary education significantly disrupted by the effects of the pandemic.
“Following the pandemic’s disruption and over a decade of austerity, the education system in England faces significant challenges in the years ahead. Amongst them are the high levels of pupil absence, geographical inequalities, and a growing attainment gap between pupils from low income backgrounds and their peers – equivalent to 19 months of learning by the time they sit their GCSEs.”
