OLDHAM'S cabinet member for education and skills has hailed the town's students, 57.7 per cent of whom have achieved a good grade 4 or above in English and maths.

Cllr Shaid Mushtaq said: “We’d like to congratulate all our pupils who after years of hard work and dedication have achieved the GCSE grades they require.

“GCSEs are an important part of a young person’s education and getting results is a momentous occasion in their lives. We’d also like to say thank you to the parents, teachers, governors and staff who have supported our young people and helped prepare them for the exams

“It will undoubtedly be a time, if not already, to think about next steps. Regardless of your results, whether they were what you wanted or not what you were after, there’s so many opportunities in Oldham, as well as the fantastic support services through your school and around the borough that can help.

“I am pleased to say that provisional returns from our schools show that 57.7 per cent of Oldham students have achieved a good grade 4 or above in English and Maths and we will continue to work in partnership with our schools to build on this success in the new academic year.

“This year has seen more changes to the GCSE scoring grades, and they are now all on a new scale of 9 to 1, with 9 the highest grade, rather than A* to G.

“That means comparisons with previous years’ results is not possible and we won’t know wider data until later in the year when national level data is released.

“Finally, I’d also like to say thanks to the parents, teachers, governors and staff who have supported our children and helped prepare them for the exams.”

Meanwhile, Ashton and Failsworth MP Angela Rayner, who is also Shadow Education Secretary, said: Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary said: “A huge congratulations to everyone receiving their GCSE results today. These are the result of years of hard work from students, their families, teachers, and school leaders, and I pay tribute to them.

“But it is deeply concerning that disadvantaged young people are far less likely to get good GCSE grades, creating an inequality that will remain for years to come.

“This government, by cutting school funding for the first time in a generation and creating a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention, is making it harder for young people to succeed, while those going on to further education will once again see the impact of nearly a decade of Conservative cuts to education.

“A Labour government will give every young person the support they need to reach their full potential, during and beyond their GCSEs, by reversing Tory cuts to schools and increasing per pupil funding in real terms, and bringing back Educational Maintenance Allowance for young people in further education.”