It was expected to be a good year for GCSE results at Hanham High School. Staff were confidently predicting a more than 80 per cent pass rate at five or more A* to C grades, and a respectable 58 per cent when English and maths were included.
The evening before the results were published Peggy Farrington, the headteacher of the south Gloucestershire school, met with the examinations officer to see how students had fared, in readiness for the arrival of pupils in the morning.
The school’s overall results were excellent. At 86 per cent A* to C grades they were the best ever in the school’s history, and a six percentage point rise on 2011. But closer scrutiny showed a huge discrepancy.
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