Education minister backs La Mare head to improve

UNDER-fire Education minister Carol Steere yesterday insisted she had complete confidence in her board and in the head teacher at La Mare de Carteret High.

The department was forced on Wednesday to reveal that provisionally just 12% of the schools' pupils this year achieved a GCSE pass rate of five grades AA to C, including maths and English.

A school in England is regarded as failing if it does not hit 35%. Elizabeth College had a 98% pass rate and Ladies' College 100%.

'We are talking about one indicator, one set of results. Measures are already being taken, let's look at the service as a whole and the island-wide trend over the last 10 years.

'Let's not get hysterical.'

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