A HEADTEACHER has issued a warning about the widespread concern surrounding the reliability of exam marking.

Speaking at the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) annual conference in Gateshead yesterday, Headington School headteacher Caroline Jordan said there was “systematic acceptance of errors” by exam boards.

Mrs Jordan said while the ‘noise’ about issues around marking was not as significant this summer, confidence in the issue had not increased. She said: “The reality is we are all now used to sending out press releases in August with headline figures to governors and parents with the caveat that these are the initial results with the expectation that results may well be very different once the remark season is over. This systematic acceptance of errors in the system just goes to demonstrate a huge lack of confidence, and the huge tragedy in all of this is that these reduced grades are unjustly affecting the future of the children that we have spent the last seven years nurturing.

“This is made doubly worse by the fact we have no confidence the whole process will not be repeated next year.”