Council in GCSE English grades legal challenge (From Harrow Times)

Brent Council in GCSE English grades legal challenge

2:10pm Friday 21st September 2012 in News By David Hardiman, Reporter

Brent has joined other councils and more than 100 schools in a legal challenge to a regulator’s refusal to re-grade GCSE English papers.

The authority, along with neighbouring boroughs in Camden and Ealing, has signed a letter to exam regulator Ofqual threatening to seek a judicial review in a bid to force the re-grading of papers.

Approximately 100 pupils in Brent scored lower grades than expected when boundaries were raised halfway through the year, meaning students who took the exam in January got a higher grade than those who sat them in June and achieved the same mark.

The pre-action letter, signed by six teaching associations and unions, 113 schools and 36 councils sets out the case, labelling the situation “inconceivable”.

Brent’s lead member for children, Councillor Mary Arnold, said there was “a marked difference in students’ predicted and actual grades”.

She added: “On behalf of the hundred or so students affected in Brent and the many thousands of other young people across England we are wholeheartedly behind the legal challenge to Ofqual for a thorough investigation into this matter.”

Harrow Council did not sign the letter, which was delivered to the regulator this morning.

Ofqual published its report into the controversy on Tuesday, which concluded that the January exams were “graded generously” and that the June boundaries were “right”, refusing to re-grade the papers.