The gap between the South and the rest of England is widening

The gap between GCSE results in the south and the rest of England has widened.

This year’s results reveal that London is the best performing region, with 72.5% of applications graded at least 4/C, while the West Midlands is the worst performing with a pass rate of 63.1%.

This is a gap of 9.4 percentage points, up from 8.7 percentage points last year and even wider than in 2019, when the gap was 6.8 percentage points.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to “ensure that everyone’s path is determined by their talent, skills and ambition, not where they come from”.

Most of the students who received their results were in Year 7 when the first Covid lockdowns were announced. spent every year of their secondary education in the midst of or after the pandemic.

The pandemic has affected children differently due to a range of factors, including how their part of the country has been affected and their level of access to technology at home.

Last year, MPs warned that it could take a decade for the gap between disadvantaged pupils and others to close to what it was before the pandemic.

Education professionals suggest that regional inequalities may have been worsened by the pandemic and insufficient school budgets.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “Schools are doing their best to support pupils and address these gaps, but they cannot do it alone…

“Unfortunately, the previous government failed to provide the necessary resources.”

Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, which represents more than 1,000 schools in the region, said the findings “continue to map the disproportionate impact of the pandemic and cost of living crises, as well as the ongoing long-term educational challenges facing regions like the north east,”

Overall, GCSE pass rates for pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell for the third year in a row, to 2019 levels, with 67.6% of entries graded at least 4/C, compared with 68.2% last year.

The pass rate increased in 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled due to Covid.

This year, the decline has been more pronounced in Wales and Northern Ireland than in England, where grades were brought back to pre-pandemic levels last year.

Khalil Suddle always had confidence in himself, says one of his teachers. She remembers that after his mock exams, he would announce: “Call the emergency services. 999.”

Today, holding his nine 9s at his school in Barnet, north London, he tells BBC Newsbeat: “People will think I cheated… I’m really grateful, I’m speechless.”

Khalil’s class started high school online due to the Covid pandemic and the student says he is proof that it is never too late to overcome setbacks.

“During the whole Covid period, I was just playing games,” he says.

“I didn’t pay attention, so it’s a bit of a flashback at the end.

“If you work hard enough, anything is possible.”

He stands alongside his friend and classmate Ethan Cicopalus, who got six 9s and three 8s.

“It’s slightly better than I expected, especially for German,” Ethan says.

The couple will return in September to begin their A-level studies – but first it’s time to celebrate.

Fewer GCSE English and Maths exams pass last year This meant that more students in England had to re-sit their exams.

In England this year the change was marginal compared to last year.

In all three countries, the proportion of GCSEs graded 4/C or above is:

• 67.4% in Englanddown from 67.8% last year
• 61.7% in Wales, down 64.5%
• 82% in Northern Irelanddown 86.6%

Some students in Wales and Northern Ireland may be disappointed but, for regulators in both countries, grades were always expected to return to pre-Covid levels this year.

Around 200,000 students also received results from BTec Tech Awards, BTec Firsts and BTec Level 2 Technical courses, while around 120,000 received results from Cambridge Nationals.

Ukrainian student who started school in UK four months before GCSEs says she is “really proud” of having achieved this.

Halyna left war-torn kyiv just over a year ago and says adjusting to an English school has been “terrifying”.

The 16-year-old, a pupil at Thistley Hough Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, says her new friends at school have helped her find her feet.

She went to celebrate in a cafe with friends after getting her 5th and 6th grades and meeting the requirements for her university course next year.

“I did really well, I got all the grades I needed,” Halyna told BBC News.

In England, the 2024 results show that the north-south divide that existed before the pandemic has worsened.

In 2019, the gap was narrower, at 6.8 percentage points. At the time, London was also the best performing region, with the West Midlands and North East the worst performers.

Four out of five regions in the north of England and the Midlands have lower pass rates than in 2019, while all regions in the south have higher pass rates.

The Northern Powerhouse, a body set up to boost the North’s economy, describes these regional differences as “largely a reflection of differences… in the proportions of children experiencing long-term disadvantage by region”.

In a message posted on X, the English Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, congratulated the students and staff.

“You have shown incredible resilience in overcoming challenges, and you should be proud of all that you have accomplished,” she wrote.

Sir Keir also pledged on X: “My government will ensure that everyone’s path is determined by their talent, skills and ambition, not where they come from.”

Earlier, England’s school standards minister, Catherine McKinnell, acknowledged that Thursday’s GCSE results and last week’s A-level results were “not evenly distributed across the country”.

She says the government is committed to ensuring every young person has access to opportunities, no matter where they live.

Although it is a “huge task,” she said, “we are determined to see it through.”

Last week, the percentage of top A-level grades pink for the first time since 2021 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland – but the picture was different depending on where you looked.

The proportion of top grades increased in England, but decreased in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scotland’s higher exam pass rate also returned to its 2019 level this month, while the pass rate for the National 5 and Advanced Highers exams has fallen further.