Best ever year for GCSEs

Hull's education leaders have set their sights on further improvements in GCSE pass rates as pupils achieved the city's best ever results in this summer's exams.
In a marked improvement on last year's results, 37 per cent of pupils achieved five A*-C grades including maths and English, compared to 29.6 per cent a year ago.
And 65 per cent of pupils this summer achieved five GCSE passes overall compared to 52 per cent in 2008.
More than 3,000 young people in 14 schools took GCSEs this year, and their achievements set the standard for further progress to come.
"These are the best GCSE results Hull has ever experienced and young people have done the city proud," said Nigel Richardson, Hull City Council's director of children and young people's services.
"Education has a major role to play in Hull's social and economic regeneration, and we are setting our stall out to ensure more improvements are made by 2012.
"The results are a fitting reward for the hard work of pupils and teachers, and the support given by school governors and parents, throughout the city."
Education in Hull is currently on an upward trend as the Building Schools for the Future programme provides new and state-of-the-art school buildings, and Hull Challenge attracts quality teachers from other parts of the country to work in Hull.
"I was really pleased with my grades," said Rachel Wood (16) who achieved 12 GCSEs at grades A*, A, B and C at Kingswood College of Arts and hopes to pursue a career in teaching.
"Our teachers couldn't have been more supportive and gave extra help at dinner times, after school and even during school holidays to prepare us for the exams."

For more information on education in Hull visit www.hullcc.gov.uk