Exam Results: Pluses & Minuses
Figures published by exams regulator Ofqual show that school pupils in Hastings have scored the least number of Grade 7 or above GCSE results this summer of anywhere in the South East (only Havant scores lower in any district south of Staffordshire).
Results day at St Leonards Mulberry Academy
The results, however, vary between schools, with St Leonards Mulberry Academy in the forefront of celebrations for individual and collective success stories. They issued a press release celebrating what was described as “a significant rise in GCSE outcomes”.
The proportion of its students achieving passes in both English and mathematics has risen, it said, by 12 percentage points compared with 2025, amounting to the academy’s strongest ever results in these subjects. Its ‘Attainment 8’ score, a measure which aggregates scores over eight core GCSE subjects across the school-year group, is also reported to have risen by around four points. There have been “record pass rates” for students with special educational needs.
Drew Greenall, Head of Mulberry Academy, St Leonards said:
“So many of our students have achieved fantastic individual results, including a large number of Grades 9, 8 and 7. Every result represents an individual story of hard work, determination and progress.”
Cllr Paul Soane, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for Education, Inclusion and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability), issued a statement last week congratulating every student across the county on receiving their results: “These achievements reflect not only their hard work, resilience and determination, but also the support of families, teachers, school staff and governors who have helped them along the way.”
Nevertheless, a 10.2% proportion of top grades across Hastings compares with 10.6% in 2025, and contrasts with Mid Sussex, where 29.9% of entries have received Grade 7 or above, and Brighton & Hove where the percentage is 28.6.
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