Rutland secondary schools have outperformed the national average, as more than three quarters of GCSE pupils gained five passes including maths and English. 

The government announced provisional data last month about this summer's GCSE results and it shows that Rutland is among the best performing in the country. 

There were 76.4 per cent of pupils who gained five GCSE at grades 9-4 including maths and English. This is more than 10 per cent better than the national average of 64.7 per cent and almost 20 per cent better than students over the county border in North Northamptonshire. 

The county has three secondary schools, Catmose College in Oakham, Uppingham Community College and Casterton College close to the Stamford border in Great Casterton. 

Catmose College is rated as outstanding and has long performed well academically. The other two schools are rated as good. The individual breaks for each school were not included in the Department for Education figures.  

Cabinet member for children and families at Rutland County Council Cllr Tim Smith (Lib Dem) said: "We're very fortunate to have excellent secondary education here in Rutland – both in terms of our independent and mainstream schools. Having personally visited all our local schools, I can vouch for the fact that the quality of teaching environment is second to none. Teaching standards are also exceptionally high, with students of all abilities supported to learn and develop. 

"Perhaps most importantly, children are benefitting from a strong positive culture in our schools, fostered by excellent leadership and a clear understanding of the individual needs of students, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The students themselves must also take their fair share of praise for all the hard work they put in during school hours and studying at home." 

The results are an improvement on the past two years.  In 2023/24, 73.3 per cent of students achieved the standard a slight improvement of 71.3 per cent the academic year before. 

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