Merthyr Tydfil Schools’ GCSE Results Continue To Shine

Pupils, parents, teachers, governors and elected members are today celebrating after learners across the County Borough have been successful in their GCSE examinations. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Provisional results show that over 56% of pupils in Merthyr Tydfil’s secondary schools are leaving with fiveor more GCSEs, including English/Welsh and mathematics, at grades A*- C. This is the fourth year in succession that there has been an improvement in the results. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Strong position ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

It is also a cause for celebration to see just how many students with a whole range of abilities have fulfilled their potential in a variety of demanding subjects. Every one of the pupils in Afon Taf High School, Bishop Hedley High School, Cyfarthfa High School and Pen Y Dre High School has achieved the level 1 threshold (5 GCSEs A*- G). Their achievements will put them in a strong position to move on to the next stage of their lives. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

This good news follows the recent outcomes for children and young people aged seven, 11 and 14 where performance in Merthyr Tydfil was above the Welsh averages for the first time. These results are also hot on the heels of the successes reported by The College Merthyr Tydfil, where the majority of our school leavers will continue their education. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Drive for continuous improvement ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Brendan Toomey, Leader of Merthyr Tydfil CBC, said: “The success of our learners is a testament to the hard work, commitment and vision of schools, pupils, teachers, parents, governors and the Local Authority. The drive for improvement continues as we do everything we can to ensure we are giving the young people of Merthyr Tydfil the best possible educational start in life.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Harvey Jones, Cabinet Member for Learning for Life, said: “I would like to congratulate our secondary schools on their achievements in supporting our young people. I would also like to congratulate our young people on achieving these excellent results. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We continue to value highly our partnership with all schools in the Authority and encourage them to share best practice so that all Merthyr Tydfil pupils experience a great education, which provides them with the skills they need for work, further education and training.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​