Standing view · skills · Blackpool
improving, held with strong confidence, formed on 5 October 2026 from movements in 2024/2025.
Pupils achieving GCSE grade 4 or above in English and maths in Blackpool accounted for 41.9% in 2023/24, an unfavourable movement, and 51.2% in 2024/25, a favourable one. Those achieving grade 5 or above accounted for 30.3% in 2024/25, also favourable. Pupils entering English and maths GCSEs made up 92.7% in 2023/24, a favourable movement. Grade 4 or above stood higher in 2024/25 than in 2023/24, and three of the four readings moved favourably.
A view is formed only where the evidence names a figure you can check. Each movement listed as a reason had to be large enough to matter and distinctive in at least one way — unusual against this area's own history, unusual against comparable areas, or sustained over several periods. A movement shared with peers counts for less, because it says something about the country rather than about Blackpool. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE grade 4+ in English and maths | 2023/2024 | deteriorating |
| Pupils entering English and maths GCSEs | 2023/2024 | improving |
| GCSE grade 4+ in English and maths | 2024/2025 | improving |
| GCSE grade 5+ in English and maths | 2024/2025 | improving |