Shropshire heads furious over league table changes

Mr Gove has announced that with immediate effect only a pupil's first attempt at a "core subject" GCSE exam will count in school performance tables.

That means a pupil could sit an exam in November and obtain a D Grade, but re-sit later in the year and achieve a B – but only the D would go towards the school's league table standing.

Geoff Pettengell, the chairman of the Shropshire Secondary Heads Association, said he was "disappointed" with the decision.

He said the move would distort the league tables and confuse parents.

"I think I speak on behalf of all secondary schools when I say I am disappointed by Michael Gove's decision," said Mr Pettengell, who is also principal of Shrewsbury Academies Trust, which looks after The Grange School in Harlescott and the neighbouring Sundorne School.

"Early entry is a motivational strategy to improve attainment. We feel that Michael Gove has tried to force us to stop using that strategy.

"Heads have been put in a place where they must choose what is best for their students and what is best for their public data.

"There are some schools where that will be a difficult decision and across the country, and in Shropshire, there will probably be exam withdrawals.

"I think it's really sad. It's not well thought out. It is led by ideology and not evidence."

Mr Gove has accused schools of putting children through exams early to cheat the system.

He said the change would crack down on the practice of entering pupils for GCSEs a year or two early and taking multiple exams in the same subject to boost their grades.

This summer, 170,537 – 23 per cent – of maths entries, and 70,134 – 10 per cent – of English entries, were from pupils who were not yet at the end of their Key Stage Four study.

Overall, entries from 15-year-olds increased by 39 per cent from 2012 to 2013.

Mr Gove claimed that some pupils were sitting exams up to eight times.

But Mr Pettengell said the maximum number of times a child would sit an exam at Sundorne School is "two or three".

Dave Hill, headteacher at Burton Borough School in Newport, said he would continue to encourage pupils to sit maths and English exams next month – even though it is likely to have a severe impact on his school's league table statistics.

He said: "In 40 years of teaching I've never been so angry about a change.

"This encourages schools to undermine the interests of the children.

"Entering children early for exams gives them a real test of a proper exam. They learn how to revise properly and it does take some of the pressure off later."

This year 71 per cent of pupils at Burton Borough achieved five or more GCSEs from A* to C, including English and maths.

Under the new rules, Mr Hill believes that could drop by "15 per cent".

He said: "Some parents will inevitably see the statistics and believe the school is slipping – but we believe that is the right thing to do."

Jane Radbourne, headteacher at Grove School in Market Drayton, said the school would also proceed with early entry exams in November.

She said: "The governors of Grove and I will continue to put the best interests of students first.

"We have entered our current Year 11 students for their English GCSE in November as there has been a change to the examination components midway through the examination cycle. This is highly unusual.

"Students have already completed work that will no longer form part of the exam in the summer so we entered them in November when it will still count. Those students who need to re-sit in the summer will be able to do so to achieve their best possible grade.

"The recent government announcement regarding what will count in the performance tables will impact on the school headline figure but we will not allow this to penalise our students achieving the best grades they can."

A Department for Education spokesman has said: "We recognise that early entry can be used effectively in certain cases and schools will continue to be able to enter pupils early for examinations where they feel it is appropriate.

"However, schools should definitely not be entering children for exams before they are ready.

"It is not good for pupils to be put in early in a school's hope they can bank a C – it is far better that children study the subject fully and take it when they are ready."