Displaying items by tag: education inequality

On 21 August pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received GCSE, BTec and other Level 2 results. The GCSE pass rate is similar to last year, which saw a third consecutive decline after the Covid pandemic. With more 16-year-olds in the population and rising demand for sixth form places, competition is fierce. Some colleges have expanded capacity, but others warn they will have to turn students away. Concerns over possible VAT on private school fees may also drive more families toward state provision. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson praised pupils’ resilience but condemned entrenched inequalities, noting that only 19% of white British working-class children achieved strong passes in maths and English in 2024 - virtually unchanged from 2017. About 170,000 students have received BTec results and 110,000 Cambridge Nationals, while in Scotland exam pass rates have risen. For many students who began secondary school during lockdown, these results mark the culmination of years of disrupted learning, testing both their determination and the system’s ability to provide equal opportunity.