Claim 753fc9e9Checked 21 Jul 2026
TrueOn the truth scale
“Only 36% of pupils achieve grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSEs.”
—Alison HumeLabourLab / Scarborough and Whitby·Engagements·03 Jun 2026Factual · quantitative empirical
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The claim is strongly supported by official data from North Yorkshire Council. A report prepared for the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee (dated 5 June 2026, just two days after the speech) states that the percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and Maths (the "Basics" measure) was 36.4% for the committee area in 2025. The MP's statement of "36%" is a reasonable rounding of this figure. The same report shows the trend over recent years: 39.6% (2022), 37.9% (2023), 38.8% (2024), and 36.4% (2025), all below both the North Yorkshire average (46.8% in 2025) and the national average (45.4% in 2025). A local news outlet, The Whitby Anchor, also reported the PMQs exchange and cited the same 36.4% figure. No evidence contradicts this claim.
Sources: North Yorkshire Council, Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee Schools Update (5 June 2026) — https://edemocracy.northyorks.gov.uk/documents/s68939/Scarborough%20and%20Whitby%20AC%20Schools%20Update%2020260605.pdf ; The Whitby Anchor — https://thewhitbyanchor.co.uk/prime-minister-backs-mission-to-improve-education-in-whitby-and-scarborough/
From speech
Despite the efforts of dedicated teachers in Scarborough and Whitby, only 36% of pupils achieve grade 5 and above in both English and maths GCSEs. Does the Prime Minister agree that Mission Coastal has the potential to deliver the same transformational impact for young people in deprived coastal communities as the London Challenge achieved, and that it is the kind of bold and targeted intervention that only a Labour Government can deliver?
Sources opened