A DISPUTE has broken out between Malmesbury School and an exam board after an entire class received U grades when opening their GCSE results last week.

Headteacher Tim Gilson has launched an appeal and refuted claims by examining body VTCT that the school’s internal moderation process was at fault, after 11 students failed the coursework element of the Level 2 certificate in hairdressing and beauty therapy.

Students were shocked to discover they had all been given U grades when opening their results last Thursday and the parents of those affected contacted the Standard to complain.

In a statement, VTCT said: “All assignments on this qualification are externally set by VTCT, however students’ coursework is internally assessed and moderated by schools and then externally moderated by VTCT.

“Schools must use the assignment briefs set and published by VTCT. Teachers are responsible to ensure that students are supported to work independently to satisfy all learning outcomes and assessment criteria via their coursework.

“While there was much evidence of high quality coursework submitted in places, only partial coursework satisfied the assessment criteria in its entirety.

“Unfortunately, this was not identified by the school’s own internal assessment or internal moderation process.”

Mr Gilson responded, saying: “I absolutely refute any suggestion that our moderation process is at fault.

“Examination appeals are very common and are happening in every school in the country.

“We are working with the exam board to try to understand what has happened in this section of the course.”

However parents and students, including Hay Blake whose daughter Molli, 16, was not able to go on to study her preferred choice of course at college because of the mix-up, have demanded answers.

Hay said: “Molli is absolutely gutted because it’s meant she can’t do the extended course element that she wants to do at college.

“She needed three Cs to do the enhanced part of the course but only has two.

“If she’d have had that coursework for hair and beauty, that would’ve given her the third C.”

22,842 students took the same course nationally this year with 97.26 per cent of those passing.

The exam board are currently investigating.