Loughborough College has highlighted its GCSE success and the boost in opportunity it offers young people amid calls for resits to be abandoned.
The College has today been celebrating a 99.5% pass rate with re-take rates at grades A*-C well above the national average - 14% for Maths and 6% for English.
Mark Dawe, former chief executive of leading exam board OCR, has said this week that GCSE resits policy - which sees students in further education required to take Maths and English GCSE until they achieve at least a C – should be abandoned.
“Some are having to re-do it over and over,” said Mr Dawe, who is now CEO of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. “Our view is that you are driving these young people, who have already had a bad experience with education, to yet more bad experiences.”
Loughborough College Vice Principal Debi Donnarumma said: “We are delighted to have achieved an almost 100% pass rate with more than 800 students who took GCSE English and Maths this year.
“GCSE English and Maths are so important to a young person’s progression and their life chances. These students whose results we are celebrating today have already taken these GCSE exams and just needed more time, support and dedicated teaching to help them achieve.”
“We firmly believe in the opportunity to resit and we do all we can to support that in the best way possible for the benefit of each of our students – which can be seen in the fantastic results they have achieved today,” added Sharon Townes, Head of Sixth Form at Loughborough College.