ST. Mary's College in Crosby is again top of Sefton's GCSE performance league tables according to new figures from the Government on this year's examinations.

The recently published statistics from the Department for Education (DfE) show that the college achieved better results in the summer than all other state and independent Schools in the borough in all key indicators.

One of these was its Attainment 8 score of 63.1, significantly higher than the Sefton average of 42.9% and the 43.7% average for Schools across the country.

Attainment 8 measure students' average grades across a range of 8 GCSE-level qualifications.

These are English and Maths, 3 English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) qualifications (including:- sciences, languages, History, Geography and Computer Science) and 3 additional qualifications approved by the DfE.

The aim of this Government measure is to encourage Schools to offer their pupils a broad and balanced curriculum.

St. Mary's was also the top-performing School in Sefton in terms of pupils' English and Maths GCSE results in summer 2025.

75.6% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in both subjects this year, compared with a borough average of 39.3% and a national average of 41.5%.

Meanwhile, St. Mary's GCSE candidates also outperformed pupils in all other Sefton Schools by achieving an English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) average point score of 5.49. The borough average was 3.69 and the English average 3.84.

This score measures a pupil's average best grades across 5 GCSE subject areas, the so-called:- 'pillars' of the English Baccalaureate.

St. Mary's Principal, Mike Kennedy, commented:- "These new figures again demonstrate the success of our policy which has always been to give students as much scope as possible in terms of the number and variety of subjects they take at GCSE level. Being top of the class in terms of these key performance indicators reflects the breadth and quality of the curriculum we offer. Even more importantly, the statistics demonstrate the hard work and commitment of our GCSE candidates, and I would like to congratulate all the students and staff involved in achieving these outstanding results."

LIVERPOOL Liberal Democrat Leader, Cllr Carl Cashman, has written to the Head of Neighbourhoods at Liverpool City Council seeking urgent clarity after reports from residents over reports that Council staff have been removing so called:- "additional" purple bins without warning. In his open letter, Cllr Cashman raises serious concerns about the impact these removals could have on waste management, fly tipping, and pest control across the City.

Cllr Cashman explained:- "We are already inundated with complaints about:- fly tipping, littering, and rats. Removing bins with no prior notice will only make these problems worse in some of the hardest hit areas of our City."

Cllr Cashman and the Liberal Democrat group have called on the Council to explain:-

• On what basis collection crews are deeming a purple bin:- "additional," and removing it.
  

• Whether residents are spoken to before their bins are taken.
  

• What safeguards are in place for those who have legitimately paid the £25 administrative and handling fee.
  

• Whether residents whose bins have been unfairly removed will be forced to pay again to have them replaced.

Cllr Cashman commented:- "Of course, we're committed to improving recycling rates in Liverpool. But that can't come at the expense of keeping our City clean, tackling the rat problem, and ensuring regular, reliable bin collections."

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a clear public statement from the Council to reassure residents that any removals will be handled fairly and transparently.