21 September 2012.

The NUT, as part of a coalition of councils, schools, unions and professional bodies is launching legal action against Ofqual and exam boards AQA and Edexcel in England. This is the next step in the campaign to rectify the huge injustice suffered by many pupils, teachers and schools over this year’s English GCSE fiasco.

Letters have been sent setting out the failures of the bodies concerned. They have been given 7 days to respond. Failing a satisfactory response they face legal proceedings in judicial review. The claimants to the proposed action seek that those who took GCSE examinations in June 2012 be treated in the same way as those who took the examinations in January 2012.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“There is now not a shadow of a doubt that this year’s GCSE grade boundaries were changed without warning half way through the school year purely out of a fear that too many pupils were succeeding. This is purely and simply political manipulation. Educational achievement and success is not something this or any Government should be allowed to limit.

“The Education Secretary’s position of indifference is now untenable.   The Welsh Government has acted in a wholly appropriate manner and ordered a re-grade of the exams affected. It is time this Government followed suit.