Lewisham Council launches legal action over GCSE results
10:15am Friday 21st September 2012 in News By Mark Chandler
LEWISHAM pupils are at the forefront of an alliance of local authorities, schools and unions taking legal action over this year's GCSE marks.
The group, made up of 113 schools and 36 councils want English papers taken in June to be regraded in line with those taken in January, says it is unfair that the boundary for a C grade was raised by 10 marks midway through the year.
In Lewisham, the council says 163 pupils have been left with D grades who, had they sat the exam in January, would have got a C.
Jonathan Clarke, 16, who sat his exam at Blackheath's St Matthew Academy said: "I worked hard for a C grade in English and it has been taken away from me right at the end.
"That is just not fair. I'm now having to redo the course with a different exam board over the next year at the same time as doing four A-levels."
His headteacher Michael Barry said: "Jonathan is one of 31 students from our school who has suffered in this way.
"He is a hard-working, conscientious student, getting 2 A stars, 4 As, 2Bs, 3Cs and then a D in English. It is obvious that something is very wrong here."
Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock said: "Our young people are paying for the bureaucratic bungling of others.
"Students performing at exactly the same level in January and June have been given different results – some have passed through the gateway into their next level of education or training, while others have had the door slammed shut in their face."
The group has sent a pre-action letter to exam regulators Ofqual, AQA and Edexcel giving them a week to respond.
An Ofqual spokesman said: "We can confirm we have received correspondence about proposed legal action. The matter is now in the hands of our lawyers and we will respond in due course. We cannot comment further at this time."
Full list of Lewisham schools affected:
Addey & Stanhope School
Bonus Pastor Catholic College
Conisborough College
Deptford Green
Forest Hill School
Prendergast-Hilly Fields College
Prendergast-Ladywell Fields College
Sedgehill School
St Matthew Academy
Sydenham School
Trinity School
