Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Whatever I – or anyone else – think of the futility of the GCSE system, schools can only work within the parameters they are given. In that context, amid the very real and serious questions about the grade deflation this year's pupils have just suffered, any school that produced its best ever results is to be lauded.
One such school this year is Woolwich Polytechnic in one of the poorer parts of London. Out of a year 7 intake of extraordinary diversity, social problems and dozens of non-English speakers, this once struggling school has created a cohort of boys that has just achieved 74 per cent A* to C across all subjects (up from 67 per cent last year), with 99 per cent achieving five or more A* to C across all subjects. Outstanding. And, from the place they once came from: simply remarkable. Hamish McRae puts GCSEs in a global context for us today.
Why am I picking on Woolwich Poly when there are so many schools out there who have done so well? Well, regular readers may recall that after it started taking 600 copies of i for use in reading and other periods, I went to see them together with i's head of marketing, Ciara. We were bowled over by the combined sense of purpose of staff and pupils. Somehow, these results are no surprise to us. Well done to all pupils and the joint heads, Byron Parker and Tim Plumb.
Of course, if any pupils read i yesterday they will have puzzled over the page 2 image of the relatively well-behaved Charles I we ran with the copy about the noted rogue Charles II. Oops. Sorry. It's back to history lessons for us. A(nother) head will surely roll …
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments