In an article for the Surrey Herald & News, Kwasi said:
After an anxious wait, pupils across Spelthorne received their GCSE results.
Some will have done well, or better than expected, and some perhaps worse.
For the second year in a row, the proportion of A and A* grades achieved has fallen nationally. This has coincided with the Government's ongoing efforts to revise syllabuses and generally make exams more rigorous.
Some people have criticised the changes and subsequent drop in results.
It is difficult to sympathise with their point of view when you consider that before 2012, results had improved year on year for 20 years. Grade inflation was getting out of control.
Britain's continual slide down the PISA table – which compares education performance internationally – showed that something wasn't right and needed to be done.
Against this backdrop, the performance of schools in the Borough this year has been impressive. There have been some outstanding results.
While it isn't possible to mention all the success stories in this short space, a few deserve special
mention.
Thomas Knyvett College achieved a 73% five A* to C pass rate (including English and maths). That amounts to a 33% rise in just two years!
At St Paul's Catholic College, there were record breaking results too. 71% of students achieved at least five A* to Cs, including English and maths.
In many ways, GCSE exams are now better at rewarding genuine achievement, which is only right.