HEREFORDSHIRE’S GCSE and key stage scores have slipped below the national average, according to new figures.

In another blow to local students following the GCSE grades re-jig between January and June, the figures – prepared for Herefordshire Council – confirm that although some key stage scores have improved on last year, the county now lags behind in all stages.

Analysis of statistics supplied to the council show:

  • The early years foundation stage profile saw an improvement in the number of children achieving a good level of development from 56 per cent last year to 61 per cent this year.
  • Key stage one (infant years one and two) results have declined slightly from last year but are still an improvement on 2010.
  • At Key stage two (junior years three to six), the percentage of pupils achieving level four or above in English and maths has increased from 72 per cent last year to 76 per cent this year.
  • At Key stage four (secondary years 10 to 11), 56.1 per cent of students achieved five or more GCSE grades at A* to C, which is a slight decline on last year.
  • At Key stage five (sixth form years 12 to 13), 93.2 per cent of students achieved two or more A Levels, maintaining Herefordshire’s steady performance over the last three years.

Provisional GCSE results show that 56.1 per cent of students gained five A* to C grades including English and maths, which compares to 58.6 per cent nationally.

According to the report, individual schools, colleges and early years providers are working to ensure that this does not happen next year, and projects, including the Understanding Barriers to Achievement Project, are also being set up to help tackle the problem.