Powys A-level results – could do better

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Post-16 education is back in the spotlight after it was revealed that Powys A-level results remain behind the national average.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Learning and Skills scrutiny committee this Friday, councillors and independent lay members will receive a report which gives the pupil performance for both A-Levels and GCSEs.

The report shows that the number of pupils in Powys achieving the top A* (star) and A results was at 24.7% which is below the Wales average of 29.9%.

This is slightly better than August 2024, when Powys scored 24.5% compared with the Wales average of 30%. The gap has now narrowed to 5.2%, down from 5.5%.

The number of pupils in Powys receiving A to C grades was 72.8% this year, which was a drop from 73.1%.

Wales-wide, the A to C results were 78.6%, which is up from 78% last year and sees the gap at this range with Powys widen from 4.9% to 5.8%.

This performance also sees Powys ranked 14 out of the 20 Welsh local authorities that provide sixth form education.

The report said: “The evidence points to a clear and continuing decline in post-16 outcomes in Powys, alongside a widening gap with national performance.

“A-level attainment within Powys’s schools in 2024/2025 displays a continued pattern of declining performance.”

But on the flip side of the coin, results at GCSE level are getting better.

The number of Powys youngsters achieving the top A* (star) and A grade result was 21.3%. This above the Wales average of 20% and up from 19.1% in 2024.

The number of youngsters achieving A to C grades saw Powys pupils achieve 68.9% – again above the Wales average of 63.9% and up from 67.7% in 2024.

The report said: “Standards at GCSE have improved, particularly in the proportion of learners achieving A*-C grades, where Powys is performing above the national average.

“However, performance varies significantly between schools and between different groups of learners, meaning that not all young people are benefiting equally from these gains.”

With a wholesale re-organisation of post-16 education on the cards which could see Powys secondary and all-through schools lose their sixth forms, the committee will need to ask why success at GCSE is not being translated to A-levels.

The report said: “Overall, the performance of Powys schools presents a mixed picture, with strengths emerging in some areas but continued inconsistency in others.

“Standards at GCSE have improved, particularly in the proportion of learners achieving A*-C grades, where Powys is performing above the national average.

“There are continuing concerns at post-16., A-level results have declined for several years, and Powys is now performing below the Wales average on all main measures.

“Fewer are staying in school sixth forms with more choosing college or work-based training instead.”

Welshpool, Llanfyllin and Llanfair Caereinion high schools recently declared a new offering called Trisgol+ for post-16 education starting this September, offering more subjects and opportunities across the three schools where sixth formers can travel between to study.