- The Observer
2 25.08.19 News
by universities. “The priority has to be
a level playing fi eld ,” Halfon said. “I
fi nd it extraordinary that ... pupils in
private schools, who start with many
advantages, are then able to take infe-
rior exams. Everyone should have the
chance to climb the education ladder ,
without unfair advantage to those in
private schools .”
Responding to FoIs requests from
Powell, only Cambridge University
among the 24 Russell Group universi-
ties said it did not take exam results at
key stage 4 (14-16 years) into account
when deciding which students to
admit. The other 23 said they did take
them into account and made no dis-
tinction between the two.
Powell, a former shadow education
secretary, called on the government
to act to ensure state school pupils
were no longer disadvantaged in the
race for places at top universities. She
said: “It’s an absolute scandal that it
is easier to get top grades in IGCSEs
than in the new GCSEs, yet univer-
sities essentially class them as the
same. State schools do an excellent
job to help young people get the best
GCSE results they can. There’s been
a lot of turmoil with the new sys-
tem, which private schools, by shirk-
ing away from the new GCSEs , have
shielded their pupils from .”
She called on ministers and Ofqual ,
the exam regulator, to conduct an
urgent review of admissions criteria
in order to restore fairness and direct
universities to ensure the tough new
GCSEs were properly counted.
Earlier this year the chair of Ofqual,
Roger Taylor, told the education select
committee that the current system “is
not conducive to public trust in theexamination system ”. A spokesman for
Ofqual said last night: “People should
be careful when using GCSE and
International GCSEs interchangeably .”
In 2017-18, before IGCSEs were
dropped from the state system, 91%
of IGCSEs in core (EBacc) subjects
such as English, maths, and sciences
were taken in independent schools. A
pupil in an independent school was
136 times more likely to sit an IGCSE.
The Department for Education,
which reformed the GCSE system
when Michael Gove was education
secretary, admits that the new exams
are more rigorous than those still
widely used in the private sector.
When the Observer fi rst raised the
issue last December the DfE said:Sections of The Observer are carefully collated at our print site and by newsagents.
If any section of today’s UK edition of The Observer is missing, call freephone 0800- Back issues can be obtained from Historic Newspapers, 0844 770 7684 or
http://www.observer.backissuenewspapers.co.uk.
NEWSPAPERS SUPPORT
RECYCLINGThe recycled paper
content of UK newspapers in 2017 was 64.6%© 2019 Published by Guardian News & Media Limited, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU (020-3353 2000)
and Centurion House, 129 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WR. Printed at Reach Watford Limited, St Albans Road,
Watford, Herts WD24 7RG; Reach Oldham Limited, Hollinwood Avenue, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 8EP; Reach Saltire
Ltd, 110 Fifty Pitches Place, Glasgow G51 4EA; and Irish Times Print Facility, 4080 Kingswood Road, Citywest
Business Campus, Dublin 24. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. ISSN 0029-‘Easier’ exams boost
private pupils’ chances
FREE
In next week’s Observer
32-page second world
war magazineOn the 80th anniversary of the
outbreak of the worst confl ict
in history, we remember the
courage and grief of those
who lived through it and the
profound change it brought to
Britain and the worldWWII
Neal Ascherson David Olusoga Andrew Rawnsley Yvonne Roberts20191939
The Observer1 September 201980th
anniversary
special
Britain and the second
world warogogogaaAndrewAndrewAdAndrewewRawnsRawnsRawnsRawwnsssleyleyleyleyeyyYvonneYvonneYvonneYvonnYvonneThTh1 Se1 Se Neal Ascherson
on the birth pains
of modern Europe David Olusoga
on the forgotten
soldiers of empire Yvonne Roberts on
the post-war generation
born into a new world Andrew Rawnsley
on the urge for peace
and the rise of the UNTory MP Robert
Halfon: ‘Private
school pupils have
unfair advantage.’Continued from page 1“International GCSEs have not been
through the same regulatory approval
and quality control as the new gold-
standard GCSEs, which is why we no
longer recognise international GCSEs
in school performance tables. The
new GCSE qualifi cations have been
reformed to provide more rigorous
content, so young people are taught
the knowledge and skills they need
for future study and employment.”
A D f E spokesperson said this week-
end: “Independent schools are by def-
inition independent and make their
own decisions about what qualifi ca-
tions to offer. If a school decides to
offer international GCSEs instead of
reformed 9-to-1 GCSEs, it will not get
credit for them in performance tables. ”A 17-year-old girl from Oldham has
died of a suspected drugs overdose
at Leeds festival, after police warned
that potentially lethal high-strength
ecstasy pills were being sold on site.
West Yorkshire police said a
17-year-old boy, also from Oldham,
had been detained on suspicion of
supplying controlled drugs. Offi cers
were called to the Bramham Park site
following a report that the girl had
died shortly after 3.40am yesterday.
Leeds festival’s police commander,Girl, 17, dies ‘of
drugs overdose’
at Leeds festival
Sup t Matt Davison said : “Our
thoughts are with the family of the
girl who has died. We have family liai-
son offi cers in place supporting them
and they have asked that their privacy
is respected.
“While the exact cause of her death
is yet to be established, the informa-
tion we have indicates that she has
taken a combination of drugs. This is
a tragic incident and I hope serves as
a timely reminder to others of the risk
of taking illegal substances, particu-
larly when mixing different types of
drugs and drinking alcohol.
Melvin Benn of Festival Republic,
which runs the event, said: “ We
implore the media to respect the
family’s wishes for privacy at this
devastating time.
A day earlier West Yorkshire police
had posted a warning about “danger-
ous, high-strength pills” in circulation
at the site on a social media account
named LeedsFestivalPolice.Mattha Busby