Yesterday's GCSE results revealed strong maths grades among 16-year-olds but these were pulled down by older teenagers resitting the exams, highlighting a widening divide. While more than 22 per cent of 16-year-olds achieved at least a grade 7 or A in maths, only 16 per cent of 17-year-olds retaking their maths GCSE managed to pass with a grade 4 or C. Sir Ian Bauckham, the chief executive of Ofqual, said maths grades were rising because of improvements in teaching and the adoption of maths mastery programmes used in other countries like Singapore. The article highlights Yusuif Ahmed, who lives in Weoley Castle and is set to become the first pupil of Sudanese descent to go to Eton College after securing the George Orwell Award scholarship to its sixth form. He told The Times: "I hope it shows that anything can happen and that education really can change your life." By Nicola Woolcock.

The "relentless" cycle of children in England failing and then resitting their GCSEs in maths and English is "simply not working", the Association of School and College Leaders has warned. The union said a "significant proportion" of pupils fall short of passing those subjects, and that the majority retaking those exams "face the miserable experience of falling short once again". The broadcaster speaks to families impacted by the pressure of resits, one of whom is Wynne Hindle, a 52-year-old grandmother from Suffolk who celebrated having passed her GCSE maths yesterday after taking it for a fifth time and achieving a grade 4. Ms Hindle said her message to others who might be stuck in the resit cycle is: "Keep at it." By Beth Rose, BBC News.

The gap in GCSE results has widened, with London strengthening its lead over northern England and the Midlands in top grades, exam data shows. A national high of 28.6 per cent of entries in the capital achieved grade 7 or above, up from 28.4 per cent last year. In contrast, the North East recorded the lowest rate, with 17.7 per cent awarded at least a 7, down from 17.8 per cent in 2025. By Mike Taylor, The Independent.

Tes analyses the subject-by-subject changes in exam results in England, which include falls in pass rates for English and maths and improved grades in languages. By Kyle Tormey. In an item on which subjects had the most top grades, Schools Week reports that Spanish saw the biggest increase, with a 6.9 per cent rise in grade 7 and above awarded between 2025 and 2026. By Ruth Lucas. BBC News shares five key takeaways from this year's results, including another sharp increase in the number of candidates taking statistics at GCSE. By Hazel Shearing and the data journalism team. 

Wales Online followed yesterday's live GCSE updates and today includes the results from some of the country's independent schools. By Abbie Wightwick.

In an interview with The Times, Alastair Chirnside, the incoming headmaster of Eton College, has said GCSEs should be reformed and assessed partly by coursework. Mr Chirnside is currently head of St Edward’s School Oxford, which runs its own qualifications called "pathways and perspectives" alongside GCSEs. Urging the government to use the "real opportunity" to draw on the experience of independent schools that have taken the time to develop their own qualifications, he told the paper he was open to an overhaul of GCSEs but that the qualification should be retained. Mr Chirnside will become headmaster of Eton from September 2027. By Nicola Woolcock.

Writing in School Management Plus, Will Goldsmith, head of Bedales School, says it is time to reform GCSEs and considers whether new Prime Minister Andy Burnham will make this happen. "There is an argument that allowing a greater amount of deviation from the standard offering between the ages of 14 and 18 would increase satisfaction and improve outcomes," he writes. "If we focus more on 18 as the leaving age for secondary education, not 16, we can create more time [...] for learning new knowledge and skills."

In the ISC's latest blog, Luke Ramsden, incoming head of St John's College in Cardiff, welcomes proposals to boost the status of technical qualifications, and argues academic and vocational education often work hand-in-hand to support the development of key skills. "The best education gives young people knowledge and teaches them what they can do with it. It develops practical skills while helping them understand the principles behind them," he writes.

The Department for Education (DfE) is to launch a tendering process that could be worth up to £800 million for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion staff training in schools and colleges. The plan comes alongside major reforms of special education provision, which aim to make mainstream schools more inclusive for pupils with SEND. By John Roberts, Tes.

Florence Golding, a GCSE pupil at Godolphin and Latymer School in West London, has created a Latin audio guide for the Roman Baths in Bath, bringing the ancient site to life in the language once spoken there. The finished recording is narrated by actor, author and classicist Sir Stephen Fry, and is now available for visitors to download.

Florence translated the entire guide herself before it was reviewed for accuracy by a scholar from the University of Cambridge. Keen to complete the project, she contacted Sir Stephen's agent and secured his support as narrator.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the project, Florence said: "It struck me that the guides were in so many different languages, but they didn't have it in the language the Romans themselves spoke."

The completed guide, which also includes Florence's written Latin translation, offers visitors a unique way to experience one of Britain's best-known historic sites.

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