Standing view · skills · Sefton
improving, held with established confidence, formed on 31 August 2026 from movements in 2024/2025.
The share of Sefton pupils reaching grade 4 or above in GCSE English and maths fell to 57.7% in 2023/24, then rose to 60% in 2024/25, when attainment at grade 5 or above was 39.5%. Two of the three readings are favourable and both are from the most recent academic year, so the improvement is the more recent movement. With two academic years published there is no longer run behind it.
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 Sefton. 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 |
| GCSE grade 4+ in English and maths | 2024/2025 | improving |
| GCSE grade 5+ in English and maths | 2024/2025 | improving |