MERSEYSIDE pupils have again written their own GCSE success stories – official government tables today confirm.

Students in Wirral and Liverpool  were among those toasting record results.

Government data reveals every single Merseyside authority except for Knowsley has beaten the national average for pupils managing five Cs or above in any subject.

Jubilant education officials in Liverpool saluted a five star performance from students who smashed the national average for the fifth successive year.

The percentage getting five Cs or above in any subject went up from 84.3% to 84.7% compared to the national average which went up from 79.5% to 81.8%.

The percentage of Liverpool pupils managing five Cs or above including maths and English also improved from 55 to 56.8% – just shy of the national average which rose from 58.9 to 59.4%.

The success comes as the city’s schools are set to share a £170m revamp over the next few years and months after primary school pupils matched their counterparts in Key Stage Two tests sat by 11 year-olds.

Cllr Jane Corbett, cabinet member for education, said things would continue to go from “strength to strength” and added: “I am so proud
of all of our young people who have achieved such incredible results and helped deliver yet more improvements in the city’s education
performance.”

She added: “These results send out a very clear message to the Government that pupils right across Liverpool are getting a fantastic
education.” 

In Wirral pupils had a double helping of success with the percentage managing five Cs or above in any subject rising from 84.8% to 88% and those managing five Cs or above including maths and English shooting up from 64.1% to 65.4%.

High-flying Wirral secondaries included Upton Hall School where pupils managed a perfect pass rate for the percentage getting five Cs or
above.

And it was 99% when English and maths was included.

The school also managed a 67% score for the EBacc controversially introduced as a performance measure in 2010.

It recognises students who secure a C grade or better in five “core” GCSEs – English, mathematics, history or geography, the sciences and a language.

From 2015, pupils will study for English Baccalaureate Certificates (EBCs), which will replace GCSEs in the core subjects.

The  EBacc’s retrospective introduction is reflected in today’s tables with many schools, unable to adapt their curriculum in time, scoring
zero or very low percentages.