labourpress:

Tristram Hunt MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the publication of GCSE exam results, said:

“I want to extend my very best wishes to all of those young people who have received their GCSE results. Today marks the culmination of years of perseverance, enquiry, joy and – at times – very real pressures and stress. Also, to extend my congratulations to all of the school and college staff across the country and to recognise their hard work.

“However, the continued differences in outcomes between regions in England is a worrying trend. The Tories are not challenging the regional divide in school standards, so children in the North and Midlands are again being left behind.

“In recent years we have also seen growing education inequality between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and the rest. The Government should not waste any more time and get to grips with inequalities that blight the life chances of these young people.”