Schools forced to spend £328m on 'over-inflated' exams
Head teachers criticised the “over-inflated” exams system today after it emerged that schools were forced to spend almost £330m on GCSEs and A-levels last year.
Figures show that the amount of taxpayers’ money spent on tests increased by 8.5 per cent in the last 12 months, despite a drop in the overall number of qualifications awarded.
In total, exam fees have more than doubled in the last eight yeas and now account for the second largest share of school running costs.
The disclosure will prompt fresh concerns over the cost of qualifications offered by Britain’s biggest exam boards.
According to Ofqual, the exams regulator, all major exam boards recorded increased turnover in the last financial year.
The Association of School and College Leaders warned that fees had soared because of repeated political meddling in the exams system, including the introduction of bite-sized modules in GCSEs and A-levels and pressure to hit targets – resulting in more pupils re-sitting tests.
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... (Daily Telegraph - 9 May)