Exam results show promise

L to R: Billy Cowell, Ben Chapman, Sam Callum Mather and Daniel Harraway of Trinity House School

Hull pupils and teachers are celebrating a slight improvement in GCSE results compared to last year.
More than 30 per cent of pupils out of a total of 3,141 in Year 11 have achieved five or more A* to C grades, including English and Maths.
And this year's results are despite Hull being the worst affected area in the country by last summer's floods, which forced some schools to close temporarily, and left pupils missing out on valuable lesson time.
At one of the worst-hit schools - Sydney Smith in west Hull - 104 classrooms were left under between 2ft and 4ft of water, and pupils' GCSE coursework was lost.
"The floods presented some extremely difficult circumstances for pupils and teachers at the end of Year 10," says Nigel Richardson, director of Children and Young People's Services at Hull City Council.
"But these results are evidence of the fighting spirit and the fantastic way in which everyone pulled together, including school support staff, governors and parents.
"We must also bear in mind that the home lives of many pupils and teachers were seriously affected.
"Many were living in caravans or other temporary accommodation and their lives were still far from normal by Christmas.
"These results are extremely encouraging.
Just imagine what we could have achieved without the disruption caused by the floods."
A total of eight out of the city's 14 secondary schools have recorded improvements in the number of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths.
In particular, St Mary's College recorded the highest improvement at 57 per cent, compared to 49 per cent last year.
Over the last five years Hull's results have improved by 20 per cent, compared to 10 per cent nationally.