GCSEs: Students from an immigrant background beat native-speaking peers Teenagers whose first language is not English outperformed native-speakers on all of the Government’s key measures

Children from an immigrant background in England have done better than their native-speaking classmates in their GCSEs.

Figures published by the Department for Education show that teenagers whose first language is not English outperformed native-speakers on all of the Government’s key measures.

For example, in 2019 43.8 per cent of students whose first language is not English achieved a strong 9-5 grade pass in English and maths, compared to 43.2 per cent of native speakers.

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In 2018 native speakers were narrowly ahead, with 43.4 per cent getting a strong pass, compared to 43.3 per cent of non-native speakers.

No fluke

However, the success of children from an immigrant background in the English education system is no fluke.

2017 was the first year that students with English as an additional language outperformed native speakers across all the key GCSE measures.

Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon, including the fact that non-native speakers are more likely to live in London, which has some of the best performing state schools in England.

However, research from the University of Bristol and the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2018 found that pupils from an immigrant background have more positive attitudes about education and its benefits than their native peers.

Attainment gap

The data also showed that the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their peers at GCSE widened slightly for the second year in a row.

But the Government claimed that the gap was “stable”.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said: “The attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers remains stable and is down by around 9 per cent since 2011 – but we recognise there is more to do.”

The data also revealed that the proportion of students studying the Government’s favoured core academic GCSEs has increased.

Ebacc increase

The percentage of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate rose from 38.4 per cent in 2018 to 40 per cent in 2019 – the highest proportion since the EBacc was launched ten years ago.

The EBacc comprises traditional subjects which the Government says “keeps young people’s options open for further study and future careers”.

To be judged as taking the EBacc, a pupil must study English, maths, the sciences, geography or history, and a language.

However, the Government is still far below its target for EBacc take-up – it wants 75 per cent of Year 10 pupils to be studying the EBacc by 2022, and for 90 per cent to be studying these subjects by 2025.

It originally wanted 90 per cent of pupils to be taking the subjects by 2020, but was forced to lower the target when it became clear it was going to be missed.

Mr Gibb said: “The EBacc is instrumental in driving up educational standards. Overall more pupils are studying these core academic subjects than at any time since the EBacc measure was introduced and the entry rate is particularly high in our free schools.”