Industry News
Independent school backs IGCSE
Posted on 24th January 2008
The high master of one of England's leading independent schools has added his voice to those calling for parents to ignore the government's school performance tables.
Teaching unions and professionals working in state schools have long complained that league tables based on exam results are not a fair measure of a school's success.
Heads of leading independent schools have now added their voices to complaints about the system after the Department for Children Schools and Families' decision not to include IGCSE qualifications left them at the foot of the table.
Christopher Ray of Manchester Grammar School told the Manchester Evening News that his school had been at the top of the tables until they switched to teaching the IGCSE course in maths.
That left pupils unable to gain the five A* to C GCSE grades, including English and maths, needed for league table purposes.
However, Mr Ray said he was satisfied the qualification was better for pupils and that the quality of the schools that offer it demonstrates how challenging it is.
"We are in very good company - Eton, Winchester and many other major independent schools have moved to the IGCSE for mathematics and some other subjects and like us register zero on the government scale," he added.