By Gavin Mackintosh-
Croydon has one of the lowest maths and English pass rates in London according to new statistics
The “poverty profile” shows the percentage of 19-year-olds in Croydon without a pass in the two key subjects is higher than other London boroughs.
The profile is put together by poverty charity Trust for London which works to tackle inequality in the capital, reveals just how weak Croydon pupils are academically in Maths and English.
The charity said: “While Croydon has higher rates than the London average for housing affordability and housing delivery, for example, it has among the lowest levels for GCSE attainment and among the highest levels of infant mortality.”
London schools overall perform one of the best in the country in Maths and English, but Croydon is lagging too far behind other counties. Over the past two years, reading levels in London have improve significantly due to greater G.C.S.E preparation in Maths and English, better quality teaching in literature, and information sharing in schools.
Grade inflation has also played its role in higher grades, making it difficult to truly assess the level of improvement.
Many schools also conduct more tests in English in the years leading up to G.C.S.E’s,.
In Croydon just 70 per cent of pupils passed GCSE Maths and English, compared with a London average of 75 per cent.
The data from 2020/21 and showed Croydon near the bottom of the table – performing better than just three boroughs, Barking and Dagenham, Waltham Forest and Lewisham.
The figures are based on 19-year-olds living in the borough in 2021 who achieved a pass grade in maths and English.
Neighbouring Sutton was better than the London average with 84.8 per cent getting the grades It came top in the capital overall.
The council said work is being done to improve results with this year’s results an improvement on 2019.
It also had a higher level of 19-year-olds without a level three qualification. In 2020/21 this was 33.6 per cent compared to a London average of 24.4 per cent.
A Croydon Council spokesperson said: “The council and all our schools are determined to keep making positive improvements for Croydon students, with a shared commitment to help young people fulfil their full potential and achieve their aspirations and ambitions.
“We recognise that our results are below the London average and there is work to be done – progress is already being made to close the gap with the majority of our local schools achieving improved results compared to 2019.“Students have experienced a difficult few years during the pandemic and this summer’s GCSE results were testament to their resilience and what we can achieve together.”
The borough profile did find that Croydon did has higher rates than the London average for housing affordability and housing delivery.
It also found the average rent for a one-bedroom house or flat on the private market was at least 35.9 per cent of average pre-tax pay in London in April 2021-March 2022.