CCHQ has just released Shadow Children’s Secretary Michael Gove’s reaction to this year’s A-level results:
“These results reflect the hard work of students and teachers. The individual achievements of the thousands who have done so well should be celebrated. We wish all those that have applied for university the best of luck with finding a suitable place.”
But Mr Gove’s more interesting remarks focus on the fact that 29.1% of passes in the South East were Grade A but only 19.8% in the North East. CCHQ research suggests that "the Grade A pass rate has improved by 6.1% since 2002 while it has improved by only 2.1% over the same time in the North East." Mr Gove commented:
“It is very worrying that there is such a large gap in achievement between different areas of the country. The Government is letting down children in the more disadvantaged areas who, as a result, fall behind throughout their time in school. It underlines yet again the need for reform to create new good school places so that children in the less well-off areas get the same opportunities as others."