GCSE English and maths results

Published

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1. Main facts and figures

  • 51.9% of pupils in England got a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths in the 2020 to 2021 academic year
  • 83.8% of pupils from the Chinese ethnic group got a grade 5 or above – the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
  • 9.1% of white Gypsy and Roma pupils got a grade 5 or above – the lowest percentage
  • in nearly every ethnic group, a higher percentage of girls than boys got a grade 5 or above
  • in every ethnic group, pupils eligible for free school meals were less likely to get a grade 5 or above than those not eligible

2. Things you need to know

What the data measures

The data measures the percentage of pupils at state-funded mainstream schools in England who got a grade 5 or above in both GCSE English and maths. This used to be known as a ‘strong pass’.

Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.

Not included in the data

Figures for local authorities with only one school are not shown in the data.

The ethnic groups used in the data

Data is shown for the 16 ethnic groups used in the 2001 Census, with 2 exceptions:

  • there are extra categories for traveller of Irish heritage and white Gypsy and Roma pupils
  • pupils in the Chinese ethnic group are in a separate category

Ethnicity was not known for 1.8% of pupils.

Local authority data does not include figures for pupils in the ‘other’ ethnic group. These pupils are included in the ‘all’ category, which also includes pupils whose ethnicity was not known.

Methodology

Read the detailed methodology document for the data on this page.

Summer exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, students were awarded assessment grades based on what their teacher believed they would have achieved had exams gone ahead. This is different from the 2020 awards and cannot be compared with any previous data.

In the data file

See Download the data for data by:

  • type of school
  • type of selection
  • religion of school

Some figures do not add up to the total for all pupils when separated by certain factors, for example, religion of school or special educational needs (SEN).

Pupils with unknown SEN provision have been included in the SEN total but do not have their own breakdown.

Further education colleges with courses for 14 to 16 year olds are included in the total for all state-funded schools but not in the breakdowns.

3. By ethnicity

Percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE by ethnicity
Ethnicity % Pupils
All 51.9 575,863
Asian 60.6 63,704
Bangladeshi 60.6 10,247
Indian 72.4 16,901
Pakistani 50.3 25,751
Asian other 67.1 10,805
Black 48.9 34,911
Black African 53.6 23,240
Black Caribbean 35.9 7,142
Black other 45.1 4,529
Chinese 83.8 2,101
Mixed 51.5 31,772
Mixed White/Asian 62.1 7,531
Mixed White/Black African 50.0 4,093
Mixed White/Black Caribbean 39.1 8,396
Mixed other 54.2 11,752
White 50.9 421,995
White British 50.9 386,569
White Irish 60.9 1,721
Gypsy/Roma 9.1 1,425
Irish Traveller 21.1 171
White other 52.5 32,109
Other 53.1 11,265
Unknown 43.0 10,115

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of GCSE English and maths results By ethnicity Summary

Figures for the white Gypsy and Roma, and traveller of Irish heritage ethnic groups are based on a small number of pupils and are less reliable as a result.

The data shows that, in the 2020 to 2021 academic year:

  • 51.9% of pupils in England got a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths
  • 83.8% of pupils from the Chinese ethnic group got a grade 5 or above, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
  • white Gypsy and Roma pupils (9.1%) were least likely to get a grade 5 or above, followed by traveller of Irish heritage pupils (21.1%) and black Caribbean pupils (35.9%)

4. By ethnicity and gender

Percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE by ethnicity and gender
Boys Girls
Ethnicity Boys % Boys Pupils Girls % Girls Pupils
All 48.2 293,649 55.8 282,214
Asian 57.1 32,822 64.4 30,882
Bangladeshi 58.1 5,148 63.1 5,099
Indian 68.4 8,711 76.7 8,190
Pakistani 46.8 13,246 54.0 12,505
Asian other 62.8 5,717 71.8 5,088
Black 43.6 17,473 54.1 17,438
Black African 48.2 11,552 58.9 11,688
Black Caribbean 30.9 3,604 41.0 3,538
Black other 40.6 2,317 49.8 2,212
Chinese 81.3 1,025 86.2 1,076
Mixed 48.3 15,997 54.8 15,775
Mixed White/Asian 58.7 3,910 65.7 3,621
Mixed White/Black African 47.0 2,083 53.1 2,010
Mixed White/Black Caribbean 35.3 4,135 42.9 4,261
Mixed other 51.0 5,869 57.4 5,883
White 47.2 215,374 54.8 206,621
White British 47.2 197,283 54.8 189,286
White Irish 58.4 873 63.4 848
Gypsy/Roma 9.0 720 9.2 705
Irish Traveller 22.2 99 19.4 72
White other 48.6 16,399 56.5 15,710
Other 49.4 5,818 57.0 5,447
Unknown 40.9 5,140 45.3 4,975

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)

Summary of GCSE English and maths results By ethnicity and gender Summary

The data shows that:

  • 55.8% of girls and 48.2% of boys got a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths
  • in every ethnic group except one, girls were more likely than boys to get a grade 5 or above – the exception was the traveller of Irish heritage ethnic group, where 22.2% of boys and 19.4% of girls got a grade 5 or above
  • girls from the Chinese ethnic group were most likely out of all ethnic groups to get a grade 5 or above (86.2%)
  • boys from the white Gypsy and Roma ethnic group were least likely to get a grade 5 or above (9.0%)
  • the white Gypsy and Roma ethnic group had the smallest gap between boys (9.0%) and girls (9.2%)
  • the black African ethnic group had the biggest gap between boys (48.2%) and girls (58.9%)

5. By ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals

Percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE by ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals
Free school meals No free school meals
Ethnicity Free school meals % Free school meals Pupils No free school meals % No free school meals Pupils
All 29.9 107,838 57.0 468,025
Asian 45.2 12,664 64.5 51,040
Bangladeshi 52.0 3,141 64.4 7,106
Indian 52.7 1,405 74.2 15,496
Pakistani 39.4 6,287 53.8 19,464
Asian other 47.8 1,831 71.0 8,974
Black 38.7 10,197 53.1 24,714
Black African 44.4 6,478 57.1 16,762
Black Caribbean 25.9 2,375 40.8 4,767
Black other 33.3 1,344 50.0 3,185
Chinese 79.6 157 84.2 1,944
Mixed 31.6 8,077 58.3 23,695
Mixed White/Asian 36.0 1,474 68.4 6,057
Mixed White/Black African 35.2 1,089 55.4 3,004
Mixed White/Black Caribbean 24.3 2,746 46.3 5,650
Mixed other 35.2 2,768 60.1 8,984
White 25.0 71,165 56.2 350,830
White British 24.5 66,121 56.4 320,448
White Irish 26.8 261 67.0 1,460
Gypsy/Roma 5.7 615 11.7 810
Irish Traveller 15.5 97 28.4 74
White other 36.1 4,071 54.9 28,038
Other 42.2 3,555 58.1 7,710
Unknown 29.1 2,023 46.5 8,092

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals’ (CSV)

Summary of GCSE English and maths results By ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals Summary

Figures for the white Gypsy and Roma, and traveller of Irish heritage ethnic groups are based on a small number of pupils and are less reliable as a result.

Eligibility for free school meals in England is used as an indicator of deprivation.

The data shows that, for pupils eligible for free school meals:

  • 29.9% got a grade 5 or above, compared with 57.0% of non-eligible pupils
  • in every ethnic group, they were less likely to get a grade 5 or above than non-eligible pupils
  • 79.6% of pupils from the Chinese ethnic group got a grade 5 or above – the highest percentage out of all groups
  • 5.7% of white Gypsy and Roma pupils got a grade 5 or above – the lowest percentage out of all groups
  • the biggest gap was in the white Irish ethnic group – 26.8% got a grade 5 or above, compared with 67.0% of non-eligible pupils

6. By ethnicity and special educational needs

Percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE by ethnicity and special education needs
Any SEN No identified SEN SEN Support SEN with a statement or EHC plan
Ethnicity Any SEN % Any SEN Pupils No identified SEN % No identified SEN Pupils SEN Support % SEN Support Pupils SEN with a statement or EHC plan % SEN with a statement or EHC plan Pupils
All 18.3 87,210 58.0 487,466 22.2 63,926 7.8 23,284
Asian 18.1 6,358 65.4 57,345 22.0 4,517 8.6 1,841
Black 14.1 4,936 54.6 29,975 17.5 3,496 5.7 1,440
Chinese 47.0 132 86.3 1,969 53.3 92 32.5 40
Mixed 19.2 4,817 57.3 26,946 23.5 3,505 7.9 1,312
White 18.6 68,362 57.2 353,596 22.4 50,361 7.8 18,001
Other 16.6 1,214 57.5 10,050 19.9 905 7.1 309
Unknown 17.9 1,391 52.1 7,585 21.2 1,050 7.6 341

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and special educational needs’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and special educational needs’ (CSV)

Summary of GCSE English and maths results By ethnicity and special educational needs Summary

The data shows that, for pupils with special education needs:

  • 18.3% got a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths, compared with 58.0% of pupils without special education needs
  • 47.0% from the Chinese ethnic group got a grade 5 or above – the highest percentage out of all groups
  • 14.1% of black pupils got a grade 5 or above – the lowest percentage out of all groups

7. By ethnicity and local authority

Percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE by ethnicity and local authority
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White
Geography All % All Pupils Asian % Asian Pupils Black % Black Pupils Chinese % Chinese Pupils Mixed % Mixed Pupils White % White Pupils
All - England 51.9 575,863 60.6 63,704 48.9 34,911 83.8 2,101 51.5 31,772 50.9 421,995
Barking and Dagenham 49.3 2,805 64.3 639 53.8 775 85.7 14 44.2 303 36.4 963
Barnet 69.8 4,100 85.6 603 57.3 506 92.5 40 65.3 450 71.3 1,944
Barnsley 45.6 2,345 45.5 11 55.6 18 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 50.0 52 47.2 2,159
Bath and North East Somerset 58.5 2,198 79.5 39 47.6 21 85.7 7 67.7 124 58.1 1,936
Bedford 45.3 1,989 44.8 299 40.1 152 100.0 5 39.9 193 46.9 1,302
Bexley 57.6 3,262 78.8 278 64.7 640 89.7 39 65.0 197 51.0 2,007
Birmingham 49.7 14,036 52.8 5,611 44.5 1,894 83.7 43 46.0 1,023 48.7 4,359
Blackburn with Darwen 53.0 2,052 64.1 891 63.3 30 100.0 5 55.7 61 43.1 1,002
Blackpool 35.3 1,296 70.0 30 66.7 6 33.3 3 31.0 29 34.4 1,221
Bolton 50.4 3,648 59.9 863 38.7 199 66.7 3 52.6 133 47.6 2,355
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 61.0 3,665 85.0 100 52.0 25 100.0 13 64.1 192 60.1 3,242
Bracknell Forest 56.1 1,227 80.6 62 37.8 37 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 53.5 71 55.4 1,047
Bradford 43.1 6,658 46.6 2,978 38.7 119 80.0 10 37.5 352 40.7 2,970
Brent 56.3 3,160 61.2 959 48.6 665 71.4 7 54.3 208 53.6 634
Brighton and Hove 56.3 2,225 63.0 81 37.3 51 55.6 9 51.8 193 57.2 1,804
Bristol, City of 48.2 3,694 56.7 300 40.6 429 80.0 15 42.2 339 49.7 2,477
Bromley 59.5 3,356 80.4 219 60.9 379 86.8 38 55.7 323 57.3 2,242
Buckinghamshire 66.1 6,070 70.4 1,300 55.4 213 95.7 46 64.7 368 65.0 4,029
Bury 49.7 2,229 52.1 336 43.5 62 83.3 6 42.5 80 49.6 1,692
Calderdale 53.3 2,757 55.3 477 55.3 38 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 53.9 115 52.6 2,099
Cambridgeshire 55.5 6,039 64.6 209 37.6 85 78.8 33 61.3 313 54.9 5,214
Camden 54.6 1,644 57.1 296 49.2 370 100.0 7 46.5 187 58.4 577
Central Bedfordshire 48.9 2,790 60.9 64 48.2 85 63.6 11 44.1 161 48.7 2,383
Cheshire East 55.0 3,988 66.7 63 50.0 20 70.6 17 55.7 122 55.2 3,685
Cheshire West and Chester 54.2 3,743 42.6 47 57.1 21 77.8 9 72.2 97 53.9 3,529
Cornwall 47.1 5,399 54.5 11 20.0 5 75.0 8 43.9 123 47.1 5,151
County Durham 50.2 5,269 75.6 41 56.3 16 71.4 14 66.2 74 50.4 4,982
Coventry 46.5 3,827 63.2 730 42.7 504 85.7 7 45.5 268 42.3 2,191
Croydon 50.7 3,831 64.8 522 43.8 1,230 100.0 11 48.8 514 53.9 1,359
Cumbria 48.6 5,070 79.4 34 60.0 10 73.7 19 61.8 76 48.4 4,780
Darlington 51.3 1,141 63.6 33 25.0 4 withheld to protect confidentiality 1 48.3 29 51.1 1,051
Derby 42.6 3,008 51.1 591 39.7 131 100.0 9 34.8 210 41.0 1,996
Derbyshire 51.2 7,625 68.4 76 69.0 29 85.7 14 56.9 204 50.9 7,256
Devon 50.9 7,064 54.2 48 33.3 12 66.7 12 57.6 172 50.8 6,532
Doncaster 46.4 3,149 58.1 93 48.5 33 71.4 14 49.0 96 46.1 2,841
Dorset 51.4 3,636 80.6 36 71.4 7 100.0 6 49.1 114 51.1 3,414
Dudley 46.5 3,514 59.1 328 42.1 114 62.5 8 44.1 220 45.8 2,668
Ealing 58.7 3,276 58.4 998 49.3 594 100.0 9 64.2 257 64.0 862
East Midlands 50.1 49,843 59.3 4,508 45.4 1,763 82.4 131 47.0 2,447 49.5 40,049
East Riding of Yorkshire 54.0 3,259 69.2 13 66.7 6 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 50.8 63 54.4 3,117
East Sussex 49.3 4,834 61.2 85 43.2 37 61.1 18 49.8 245 49.3 4,350
East of England 51.9 64,647 62.3 4,482 52.7 2,557 84.3 255 51.0 3,634 51.0 51,852
Enfield 52.0 3,783 77.3 308 46.4 988 84.6 13 56.2 372 48.4 1,732
Essex 49.8 15,139 78.4 425 56.4 596 86.8 68 51.0 723 48.3 12,888
Gateshead 54.0 1,971 69.5 59 70.3 37 100.0 7 60.5 38 53.2 1,800
Gloucestershire 57.3 6,388 74.9 259 42.0 100 87.0 23 52.4 317 57.0 5,569
Greenwich 52.5 2,695 66.0 200 55.6 912 82.1 28 53.1 275 45.9 1,163
Hackney 54.8 2,331 58.9 282 45.8 813 92.9 14 49.6 232 64.7 797
Halton 41.6 1,488 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 33.3 3 withheld to protect confidentiality 1 40.0 45 41.3 1,406
Hammersmith and Fulham 65.4 1,458 70.2 124 56.2 324 66.7 3 63.5 233 71.9 587
Hampshire 54.0 13,553 66.9 375 55.0 149 77.1 35 54.2 498 53.6 12,310
Haringey 53.6 2,514 67.8 146 43.5 655 70.0 20 52.8 290 57.5 1,125
Harrow 58.2 2,521 67.4 1,109 45.2 363 84.6 13 52.6 215 54.3 599
Hartlepool 46.8 1,070 50.0 26 28.6 7 100.0 6 63.6 11 46.5 1,013
Havering 54.9 2,882 64.9 171 54.8 345 100.0 15 47.5 202 55.0 2,068
Herefordshire, County of 51.8 1,762 40.0 10 33.3 3 N/A* 0 60.0 50 51.4 1,685
Hertfordshire 60.1 13,487 77.8 1,154 51.1 654 91.4 58 56.3 932 59.1 10,420
Hillingdon 54.4 3,420 65.6 847 52.2 383 80.0 5 56.3 352 46.7 1,444
Hounslow 55.6 2,916 64.0 968 51.1 352 100.0 8 48.7 277 50.9 899
Inner London 55.4 28,891 62.3 6,048 48.8 8,413 85.5 152 52.3 3,094 58.7 8,118
Isle of Wight 44.2 1,258 33.3 9 66.7 3 withheld to protect confidentiality 1 45.2 31 44.3 1,202
Isles of Scilly withheld to protect confidentiality 14 N/A* 0 N/A* 0 N/A* 0 N/A* 0 withheld to protect confidentiality 14
Islington 54.1 1,493 68.6 175 50.2 428 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 54.5 189 51.2 545
Kensington and Chelsea 63.8 896 77.4 31 62.8 183 100.0 7 60.1 143 63.7 342
Kent 52.9 16,779 76.5 737 69.5 574 87.5 56 63.1 899 50.2 14,029
Kingston upon Hull, City of 44.3 2,787 67.5 40 40.7 54 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 64.6 113 44.2 2,378
Kingston upon Thames 71.6 1,828 85.7 426 57.3 75 85.0 20 69.9 176 67.0 999
Kirklees 50.0 4,858 52.0 1,365 40.2 102 71.4 7 38.5 299 50.8 2,973
Knowsley 26.2 1,151 44.4 9 36.4 11 N/A* 0 26.7 15 26.0 1,095
Lambeth 51.1 2,264 65.1 106 49.4 1,025 81.8 11 45.5 268 54.5 642
Lancashire 52.3 13,085 54.0 1,534 41.4 58 75.7 37 53.2 408 52.4 10,727
Leeds 50.5 8,584 52.2 1,003 42.2 689 81.3 48 50.9 513 52.2 5,928
Leicester 44.8 4,070 53.9 1,982 38.0 469 100.0 5 37.9 272 33.6 1,225
Leicestershire 53.1 7,412 73.5 604 49.0 96 76.7 30 47.7 350 51.5 6,232
Lewisham 48.3 2,340 67.5 126 42.8 999 94.1 17 48.6 315 51.4 679
Lincolnshire 50.2 7,860 85.5 159 59.6 47 77.8 18 60.3 237 49.1 7,289
Liverpool 44.0 5,028 72.9 199 46.3 218 80.0 50 46.2 277 42.0 3,967
London 57.1 85,646 67.2 18,292 50.1 18,410 88.1 505 54.3 8,449 56.1 32,293
Luton 44.2 2,832 49.5 1,362 44.4 340 100.0 5 39.1 202 36.1 830
Manchester 44.0 5,743 50.9 1,385 47.4 1,125 84.0 50 36.3 476 39.5 2,257
Medway 49.5 3,169 75.9 170 74.0 265 71.4 14 55.9 204 44.5 2,439
Merton 52.6 1,555 62.6 281 45.7 302 75.0 4 38.5 161 55.8 728
Middlesbrough 42.7 1,547 55.6 187 55.0 20 100.0 3 35.1 74 40.9 1,209
Milton Keynes 45.9 3,128 66.1 295 45.6 471 90.9 11 43.2 259 43.7 1,954
Newcastle upon Tyne 48.1 2,607 57.7 300 38.6 132 70.6 17 52.9 102 46.9 1,964
Newham 54.2 4,311 61.8 2,051 46.6 999 88.9 9 45.6 263 45.4 689
Norfolk 48.9 8,197 72.7 99 52.5 80 81.8 33 56.2 297 48.1 7,427
North East 49.8 27,055 57.7 1,028 51.8 299 86.1 72 51.2 611 49.7 24,440
North East Lincolnshire 42.4 1,827 71.4 14 100.0 3 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 42.9 28 45.4 1,599
North Lincolnshire 48.6 1,899 43.3 67 33.3 12 57.1 7 50.0 42 48.8 1,757
North Northamptonshire 47.0 3,753 72.8 125 50.3 169 71.4 7 45.9 170 45.9 3,223
North Somerset 55.3 2,239 77.8 27 42.4 33 60.0 5 50.0 66 55.4 2,086
North Tyneside 52.1 2,098 63.4 41 66.7 12 100.0 7 51.0 51 51.8 1,948
North West 49.6 79,949 56.3 8,447 46.8 2,549 81.8 347 51.5 3,085 48.9 63,044
North Yorkshire 55.5 6,261 71.4 133 42.1 19 81.3 16 60.6 160 55.0 5,837
Northumberland 49.7 3,164 63.8 47 25.0 4 66.7 3 44.1 59 49.6 3,028
Nottingham 42.3 2,932 54.3 534 36.6 344 76.9 13 35.3 331 41.1 1,559
Nottinghamshire 53.4 8,236 70.0 217 54.9 144 92.0 25 55.4 381 52.8 7,289
Oldham 42.9 3,231 45.5 1,030 37.5 136 100.0 5 45.0 140 42.1 1,809
Outer London 58.0 56,755 69.7 12,244 51.3 9,997 89.2 353 55.4 5,355 55.2 24,175
Oxfordshire 54.0 6,566 53.1 377 48.8 164 100.0 12 52.6 435 54.3 5,336
Peterborough 41.8 2,564 43.2 442 35.1 94 40.0 5 33.1 175 43.2 1,746
Plymouth 51.9 2,717 70.4 27 34.6 26 90.0 10 54.2 72 51.3 2,487
Portsmouth 46.0 1,888 70.6 109 48.4 62 85.7 7 36.4 77 44.0 1,562
Reading 57.2 1,397 74.3 389 51.7 116 89.5 19 38.0 142 52.0 691
Redbridge 63.7 3,874 72.4 2,055 47.0 504 94.1 17 57.5 299 55.3 855
Redcar and Cleveland 51.4 1,567 50.0 16 60.0 5 N/A* 0 51.4 37 52.0 1,457
Richmond upon Thames 67.9 1,736 69.4 121 52.6 78 83.3 6 64.8 193 69.6 1,255
Rochdale 40.8 2,657 41.8 703 35.3 136 100.0 3 45.2 115 40.7 1,634
Rotherham 47.1 3,239 47.8 297 36.6 41 100.0 8 44.2 95 46.9 2,755
Rutland 59.3 504 100.0 3 80.0 5 withheld to protect confidentiality 1 50.0 14 58.6 474
Salford 43.1 2,383 62.5 48 51.1 141 100.0 5 40.8 147 42.0 1,942
Sandwell 40.1 4,028 48.1 1,206 30.7 401 66.7 3 41.1 333 37.3 1,922
Sefton 50.2 2,906 72.1 43 52.9 17 100.0 5 68.1 72 50.8 2,620
Sheffield 47.4 5,640 47.5 642 45.2 323 84.0 25 41.9 418 48.1 3,976
Shropshire 50.3 3,013 71.4 28 36.4 11 71.4 7 52.3 86 50.3 2,819
Slough 61.1 2,113 70.0 1,009 53.2 201 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 61.9 215 45.8 528
Solihull 53.3 3,157 60.8 416 50.5 93 81.8 11 48.7 226 52.3 2,329
Somerset 49.2 5,095 65.2 46 50.0 24 100.0 6 56.2 130 48.8 4,824
South East 54.5 90,615 68.1 6,851 55.6 2,951 82.1 329 55.7 5,136 53.0 73,095
South Gloucestershire 52.8 2,640 64.7 68 51.7 60 100.0 3 55.5 128 52.7 2,309
South Tyneside 44.3 1,618 57.8 64 66.7 9 N/A* 0 43.2 37 45.8 1,403
South West 52.5 53,700 64.1 1,321 42.7 860 83.5 133 53.1 2,129 52.4 47,805
Southampton 41.8 2,174 53.4 264 57.4 61 71.4 7 45.5 145 39.0 1,665
Southend-on-Sea 64.4 2,188 84.6 221 82.6 201 93.3 15 64.2 134 59.1 1,568
Southwark 57.4 3,002 76.4 157 53.3 1,386 78.6 28 56.1 367 62.3 771
St. Helens 46.0 1,892 77.8 27 44.4 9 75.0 4 56.8 44 45.4 1,794
Staffordshire 48.4 8,897 51.5 338 46.2 65 84.2 19 46.4 293 48.5 8,082
Stockport 56.8 2,869 68.1 191 37.2 43 46.7 15 56.7 127 56.4 2,431
Stockton-on-Tees 53.9 2,186 46.3 108 75.7 37 100.0 8 54.0 63 53.7 1,943
Stoke-on-Trent 41.1 2,672 46.4 412 40.4 114 83.3 12 31.0 155 40.6 1,937
Suffolk 47.6 7,474 59.0 117 46.6 73 66.7 9 44.6 363 47.9 6,664
Sunderland 49.9 2,817 55.7 106 56.3 16 100.0 6 52.8 36 49.5 2,642
Surrey 59.3 10,875 66.9 704 50.6 259 86.0 43 61.1 633 58.8 8,999
Sutton 68.9 3,048 90.7 784 62.9 334 95.7 47 65.6 305 58.7 1,486
Swindon 48.7 2,313 47.3 262 44.8 67 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 42.7 124 49.4 1,789
Tameside 47.5 2,635 55.1 305 48.8 80 90.9 11 52.9 136 45.9 2,055
Telford and Wrekin 49.4 2,174 61.4 171 37.9 87 100.0 9 49.5 109 48.3 1,772
Thurrock 51.0 1,948 68.9 90 59.4 197 84.6 13 48.9 141 48.9 1,410
Torbay 56.0 1,638 75.0 16 withheld to protect confidentiality 1 100.0 8 60.7 56 57.6 1,412
Tower Hamlets 54.2 2,967 59.6 1,974 46.0 300 100.0 8 42.6 162 45.5 319
Trafford 69.8 3,168 80.4 520 73.0 126 88.7 53 71.1 235 66.0 2,137
Wakefield 52.2 3,710 54.2 142 43.4 53 69.2 13 50.9 112 52.2 3,324
Walsall 44.0 3,491 58.4 858 40.8 201 93.3 15 38.6 215 38.8 2,140
Waltham Forest 50.4 2,707 62.3 756 43.7 572 78.9 19 44.9 276 45.3 936
Wandsworth 55.9 1,919 63.7 383 42.3 525 83.3 12 51.8 251 65.4 612
Warrington 56.2 2,454 65.0 40 55.6 18 92.9 14 77.8 81 55.6 2,198
Warwickshire 57.4 6,225 77.2 369 42.0 81 86.7 15 55.9 297 56.6 5,363
West Berkshire 56.4 1,776 67.3 55 42.9 21 100.0 3 50.5 107 56.7 1,565
West Midlands 48.7 65,625 55.3 11,469 41.8 4,003 82.8 163 45.2 3,772 48.0 44,012
West Northamptonshire 53.5 4,443 63.1 217 55.0 329 66.7 9 48.9 278 53.3 3,506
West Sussex 52.6 8,184 63.0 386 37.0 154 66.7 33 52.4 361 52.4 7,116
Westminster 65.1 1,752 72.6 197 62.1 406 85.7 14 64.9 194 70.9 433
Wigan 49.8 3,646 74.3 35 29.5 61 100.0 9 53.2 77 49.7 3,392
Wiltshire 52.5 5,000 68.3 82 42.0 50 66.7 15 59.3 172 52.0 4,563
Windsor and Maidenhead 55.7 1,585 54.3 210 51.2 43 withheld to protect confidentiality 2 64.3 126 55.5 1,160
Wirral 52.1 3,587 78.6 112 78.9 19 87.0 23 57.6 92 50.7 3,316
Wokingham 65.8 1,814 76.1 234 71.4 70 66.7 9 50.4 127 65.4 1,309
Wolverhampton 47.3 3,100 61.4 775 39.1 386 80.0 5 37.5 307 44.0 1,554
Worcestershire 48.7 5,729 59.9 217 36.7 49 66.7 9 48.4 190 48.4 5,191
York 60.1 1,810 83.9 31 77.8 9 75.0 8 68.6 51 59.0 1,692
Yorkshire and The Humber 49.4 58,783 50.2 7,306 43.3 1,519 78.9 166 47.3 2,509 50.0 45,405

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and local authority’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and local authority’ (CSV)

Summary of GCSE English and maths results By ethnicity and local authority Summary

The summary only includes figures based on high enough pupil numbers to make reliable generalisations.

The data shows that:

  • Kingston upon Thames had the highest percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (71.6%), followed by Barnet and Trafford (both 69.8%)
  • Knowsley had the lowest percentage of pupils getting a grade 5 or above (26.2%), followed by Blackpool (35.3%)
  • Hammersmith and Fulham had the highest percentage of white pupils getting a grade 5 or above (71.9%) – Knowsley had the lowest percentage (26.0%)

8. Data sources

Source

Type of data

Administrative data

Type of statistic

National Statistics

Publisher

Department for Education

Publication frequency

Yearly

Purpose of data source

The data is collected to help measure the performance of pupils and schools at GCSE level (key stage 4).

9. Download the data

GCSE English and Maths - National Data - 2020-21 - Spreadsheet (csv) 301 KB

This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography, geography_type, geography_code, gender, FSM, SEN_type, SEN_grouping, admission_type, school_characteristic, religious_denomination, value, value_type, denominator and numerator

GCSE English and Maths - Local Authority Data - 2020-21 - Spreadsheet (csv) 537 KB

This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography, geography_type, geography_code, gender, age, value, value_type, denominator and numerator