The Independent Schools Council is a politically independent, not-for-profit organisation representing 1,270 independent schools educating more than 500,000 children. It exists to promote choice, diversity and excellence in education, developing talent at all levels of ability and from all backgrounds.

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Record results for the independent sector

1 September 2006

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) has released the results for the independent sector in the 2006 GCSE examinations. Commenting, ISC General Secretary, Jonathan Shephard, said: "These are formidably strong results, achieved by pupils with a wide range of academic ability."

He continued: "It is a fantastic result that the majority of entries are graded A or A*. More importantly, nearly all children at ISC schools achieve five A*-C passes including Maths and English; and the vast majority include a Science and a Modern Language as well."

ISC Chairman, Edward Gould, further commented: "ISC schools are delivering a rounded education, and in the process they continue to ensure the future supply of mathematicians, scientists and linguists. It remains illogical that IGCSEs, which are included in these results, are not yet recognised in the national qualifications framework especially as some maintained schools and academies would welcome the availability of this qualification for their pupils."

Provisional GCSE results for 39.904 candidates from 563 schools show even greater achievement than in 2005.

Candidates in ISC schools took an average of 9.4 subjects each, and:

More than one entry in four (26.5%) received the A* grade, up from 26% last year (national average 6.3%, up from 5.9% in 2005).

57.2% of all exam entries were graded A* or A, up from 56.9% in 2005. (Nationally, 19.1% of entries were graded A* or A, compared with 18.4% in 2005).

More than 19 out of 20 entries (95.1%) achieved grades A* to C. (Nationally, 62.4% were graded A* to C, compared with 61.2% last year).

93.5% achieved 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C including Maths and English, and 84.2% achieved 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C including Maths, English, a Science and a Modern Foreign Language [see note below].

In 227 schools (40% of the total), every pupil achieved five or more A*-C grades. In a further 150 schools (a further 27% of the total), 95% or more of pupils achieved the standard.

The ISC list of GCSE results includes the number of candidates and grades achieved at each school. Points totals are included for each school, based on the tariff A*=8, A=7, B=6, C=5, D=4, E=3, F=2, G=1.

For ISC schools as a whole, the figures show that candidates achieved an average total of 62 points - roughly equivalent to a nine-subject result of 2 x A*, 4 x A, 3 x B - and an average subject entry result of 6.6.

Note: The latest figures available show that in 2005 44.9% of all entrants nationally achieved 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C in 5 subjects including Maths and English. In 2004, 28.2% of all entrants achieved 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C including Maths, English, a Science and a Modern Foreign Language.