‘Truly remarkable’ GCSE results at school badly affected by concrete crisis
St Leonards Catholic School has praised staff and pupils for working through the upheaval after much of the school was closed at the start of the year
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.A school that was one of the worst affected in the country by the reinforced concrete crisis was celebrating what it called “truly remarkable” GCSE results.
St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham was largely shut just as the academic year began and students faced losing face-to-face teaching for much of the first term.
Some pupils were taught off-site in alternative venues after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in school buildings.
Despite the campaigning efforts of parents and the educational trust that runs the school, no uplift was allowed to mitigate the disruption that students faced, including a lack of practical lessons in subjects such as science.
The school said this year around a quarter of GCSE results were 9 or 8, with 90% scoring grades 9-4.
That compared with last year’s figure of 89% of pupils scoring 9-4.
A spokesman said: “This level of achievements, which we are confident will see St Leonard’s remain amongst the highest performing schools in the North East, are very special in themselves.
“Against the backdrop of Raac and the fact no student received any extra concession toward their exams, these results are truly remarkable.
“This period of time has really pulled the whole community together. Well done to everyone.
“Huge credit must go to our wonderful and extremely hard-working students, dedicated and committed staff, who have gone the extra mile and beyond.
“Our parents have been exceptionally supportive and caring.”
The school is currently being rebuilt and its new facilities should open in 2026.