Lichfield Cathedral School

On Wednesday, we were thrilled to discover that in our first year of GCSEs, we had achieved a great success.

The main measure normally used to rank schools is the proportion of students who achieved 5 GCSEs with grades between A*-C, including English and Mathematics.  With 88%, LCS has come third in Staffordshire.

A new measure was used for the first time this year, called the English Baccalaureate, in which LCS has come first in Staffordshire. In future this be awarded to pupils attaining A*-C GCSE passes in Mathematics, English, Science, a Modern Foreign Language and Geography or History.

The introduction of the English Baccalaureate has divided opinion across the country, with some schools concerned that it puts pressure on them to focus on traditional academic subjects at the expense of popular vocational qualifications.  However, the Department of Education hopes that the English Baccalaureate will reverse the rapid decline in the proportion of students studying Modern Foreign Languages and Humanities. 

Clearly, this new measure will reflect well on a school like ours, which believes in maintaining the breadth and balance of the curriculum.