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Exam results in Knowsley are amongst the worst in the country, it has been revealed.
Figures show that the area had the fewest number of pupils with A* to C grades in their GCSE exams in the country. A Level results were also struggling with less than 3% of students getting AAB or better.
This comes after £157 million was spent on a scheme to replace 10 secondary schools in the area with seven new ‘Centres of Learning’.
None of the students who did achieve AAB or higher did so with ‘facilitating subjects’ such as maths or science, which are required by some of the country’s top universities.
However, Alma Wills, Principal Customer Liaison Officer for Knowsley Council, defended its educational record, telling JMU Journalism: “Raising attainment is a key priority for the council and £2.2 million has been pledged to help improve GCSE performance across the borough.
“This investment has already started to see improvements, with the number of students gaining five GCSEs at grades A* – C, including English and Maths increasing by 2.6% in Knowsley this year, compared to a 0.8% decrease nationally.”
She continued by defending the new ‘Centres of Learning’, which replaced secondary schools, saying the progress would not be immediate.
Wills added: “In the last couple of years our Centres for Learning have created partnerships with outstanding providers of education who are national leaders in this field, with impressive track records of improving GCSE elsewhere.
“This process will not happen overnight. But we are confident that all our schools are taking positive steps to make real and lasting improvements for the future.”