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 number of ISC pupils awarded A* at GCSE

1 September 2007

GCSE exam results from 577 Independent Schools Council (ISC) schools show that this year 26.8% of GCSE entries achieved grade A*. This is the third consecutive yearly rise. In addition, more than 1 in 2 entries were graded A* or A.

Commenting on the high proportion of A*-A grades this year (19.5% nationally, 57.4% at ISC schools), Jonathan Shephard, ISC Chief Executive, said:

"These results show that ISC schools continue to deliver a winning combination of teaching and learning. Both pupils and teachers should be congratulated on this outstanding success."

Provisional results achieved by 41,525 candidates from 577 schools were released today by ISC. Full school-by-school analyses are available online (after 11 am on Saturday) at http://www.isc.co.uk/.

Provisional GCSE results for 41,525 candidates from 577 schools show even greater achievement than in 2006.

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

More than 1 entry in 4 (26.8%) received the A* grade, up from 26.5% last year (national average 6.4%, up from 6.3% in 2006)
57.4% of all exam entries were graded A* or A, up from 57.2% in 2006
19 out of 20 entries (95%) achieved grades A* -C. (Nationally, 63.3% were graded A* to C, compared with 62.4% last year)
92.9% achieved five GCSEs at grades A* -C including Maths and English. 81.8% achieved five GCSEs at grades A* -C including Maths, English, a Science and a Modern Foreign Language (nationally, 44% last year)
In 231 schools (40% of the total), every pupil achieved five or more A* -C grades. In a further 159 schools (a further 28% of the total), 95% or more of pupils achieved this 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*=58, A=52, B=46, C=40, D=34, E=28, F=22, G=16, U=0.

For ISC schools as a whole, the figures show that candidates achieved an average total of 469 points - roughly equivalent to a 9-subject results of 3xA*, 3xA, 3xB - and an average subject entry result of 49.5.

Notes to editors:

ISC exists to promote choice, diversity and excellence in education; the development of talent at all levels of ability; and the widening of opportunity for children from all backgrounds to achieve their potential. ISC represents the seven leading independent schools associations in the UK, collectively educating 500,000 children in 1,280 schools in the UK and overseas.

Jonathan Shephard, previously General Secretary ISC, is now Chief Executive.

Schools which take the IGCSE are included in ISC's table. ISC continues to believe that there are no grounds for the separation of performance of the IGCSE from the GCSE.

Full grade information is available at http://www.isc.co.uk/ from 11 am on Saturday.

Press enquiries: Alexandra Caish, Head of Press, ISC
Telephone: (office) 020 7766 7060 (mobile) 0788 5620713
Email: alex.caish@isc.co.uk