Our best ever GCSE results

Redcar and Cleveland's 11 secondary schools are celebrating the Borough's best-ever GCSE results this year, with more than half the 2,000-plus students achieving five or more A*-C grades.

The Council's Cabinet Member for Education Councillor Steve Kay said: "We want to congratulate all our young people for their exam successes and the efforts they have made to ensure an excellent level of attainment across all our secondary schools.

"As far as the national standards are concerned, covering five or more A*-C grades, this set of results represent the best-ever, reaching 50.6 per cent, two per cent up on last year."

Sacred Heart RC at Redcar and St Peter's RC at South Bank have achieved their best-ever results, with Sacred Heart's success rate up 4.3 per cent to 64.3pc and St Peter's rising to 40pc from 34.8pc. Huntcliff School at Saltburn also made considerable progress, up 13.4pc to 66.4pc.

Extremely encouraging results have been recorded at Gillbrook College, Eston, previously the Borough's lowest performing school.

Following best-ever results at Key Stage 3, the College has increased its GCSE five or more A*-C grade percentage by over 12 per cent to 33.5pc. Higher grades in maths rose by 13pc (36.2) and science grades were up 18pc (31.9).

Councillor Kay explained: "With a new headteacher and deputy head arriving for the start of the new school year next week and the move to a new purpose-built school in October, the future looks very bright for the students at Gillbrook.

"Everyone at the College should be congratulated on this substantial increase in standards."

Improvements in the core subjects - Maths, English and Science - were made in most schools. English at Redcar Community rose 13pc to 45.2, with Huntcliff reporting a ten per cent rise in Maths (63.5pc) and 17pc to Science (65.4pc).

Provisional percentage results for five or more A*-C grades in the Borough's secondary schools (with 2005 results in brackets) are:

Bydales, Marske 56 (48), Eston Park 46 (44), Freebrough 28.1 (28.6), Gillbrook 33.5 (21.1), Huntcliff 66.4 (53), Laurence Jackson, Guisborough 59.2 (68), Nunthorpe 70.1 (69.4), Rye Hills, Redcar 45 (46.8), Sacred Heart 64.3 (60), St Peter's RC, South Bank 40 (34.8), Redcar Community College 41.4 (44).