SWINDON’S English and maths GCSE results this year were the worst in the South West according to new figures.

The damning revelations come just months after headteachers across the town warned that a new grading system – brought in for only English and maths – would result in widespread confusion and disparity among pupils.

Pupils are now graded from one to nine, with nine being the top mark and one the lowest.

They had previously been graded using the traditional format of grades A* to U.

But Swindon was not the only area where the new scheme was introduced, leading to inevitable questions about why schools here had such difficulty adapting.

Provisional figures for 2016/17 show only 35.2 per cent of Swindon teenagers achieved a 9 to 5 pass – the equivalent of A* to a low B.

The regional average was 41.6 compared to 42.4 nationally.

GCSE attainment is a top priority for Swindon Borough Council’s Challenge Board - created to improve education outcomes in the wake of serious concerns raised by Ofsted last year.

Fionuala Foley, cabinet member for children’s services and school attainment, said: “We have been making great strides to improve the education in Swindon as shown by a number of recent ‘outstanding’ Ofsted ratings, as well as the big improvement to our Key Stage 2 results last month.

“School attainment at Key Stage 4 and improvement in GCSE results are a priority for the Council and Swindon Secondary Schools. The Swindon Challenge Board we have set up is working well and leading initiatives to improve education, in Swindon but it will take time for some changes to take effect.”

“Secondary schools have also been actively engaged with the board to access funding for projects aimed at improving educational outcomes and have set up partnerships with outstanding schools to share best practice and help drive up results.”

However while the council is focusing on longer term improvements, critics argue it is a case of too little too late for some pupils.

Labour’s leader in Swindon, Jim Grant, said: “It is very worrying that Swindon is so far behind the regional and national average in English and maths results. It has been known for many years that the secondary level is the weakest area of Swindon’s education system and yet the council still hasn’t seemed to tackle this issue.

“It’s all very well the cabinet member saying the council is taking action, but there is no evidence they are making a difference.”

“As yet, there is only evidence things are getting worse, not better.”

“The big area the Council needs to address with schools is the progress of disadvantaged pupils- the so-called Pupil Premium pupils. We need to learn from other local authorities who have succeeded in making progress with these students and take similar steps here in Swindon.”