GCSE results day 2022: Why are West Midlands grades lower than the south?

This year’s GCSE results have shown significant regional differences, with the proportion of students achieving top grades much higher in the south compared to the West Midlands.

The 2022 GCSE results have revealed how pupils living in the south achieved higher grades than those in the Midlands and the North.

In London, almost a third of grades were at 7 (A) or above, with the capital seeing the highest percentage of top results. The South East and East of England closely followed, at 29.1% and 26.2%. The South West also saw 25.2% of grades at 7 (A) or above, and 29.2% of pupils in the South East were handed top marks.

How does this compare to the West Midlands?

The percentages of the higher grades drop further north in the Midlands and in the North West.

Across the Midlands and the north, the North West had the highest proportion of A+ grades at 23.1%, while the Midlands had similar top grades, with the East Midlands at 22.5% and the West Midlands at 22.8%.

GCSE A grades were 10% higher in London than the West Midlands. A grades achieved were also 4% higher in the East of England than the West Midlands, and 7% higher in the South East.

Compared to pre-pandemic times, London pupils have seen the biggest jump in GCSE grades, but the proportion of top grades increased in all regions compared with 2019. However the steepest increase was in capital (up 7% to 32.6%) and the lowest in the East Midlands (up 4.2% to 22.5%).

Business leaders have called on the government to address what they say is a deepening education divide between the north and the south, by giving schools more resources and funding.

While Chris Zarraga said this year’s GCSE results in England are a “map of the impact” of the pandemic and its disproportionate effects.

The director of Schools North East, which describes itself as dedicated to improving outcomes for young people in the north-east of England, called for an urgent “recovery plan” recognising differences in different areas. He said: “We are incredibly proud of the students and school staff in our region and all they have achieved despite unprecedented circumstances.

“However, the results are also a ‘map’ of the impact of Covid, reflecting the disproportionate affect the pandemic has had on our region and the exacerbation of serious perennial issues, especially that of long-term deprivation. Schools urgently need a properly thought through and resourced ‘recovery’ plan, that recognises the regional contexts schools operate in, with a long-term view of education and a curriculum that is appropriate and accessible to all students and schools.”

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