A PARENT is furious after a grammar school lost her son’s A Level assessment paper and fears the “hardworking” student could be marked down.

The mum, who asked not to be named, has slammed Westcliff High School for Boys for “mislaying” her son’s A Level chemistry test, calling the incident “disgraceful”.

The school, rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, have confirmed that one chemistry paper was mislaid for five A Level students, however they insist the students will face no disadvantage as a result.

The mum said: “The school wrote to some parents to inform them that they had mislaid important chemistry exam papers, which has potentially led to pupils being marked down for their A Level exams.

“I’m just upset, especially after all the hard work he’s put in.

“He really knocked himself out and felt he had made good progress especially during the pandemic.

“It was looking really good for him but now this has happened.

“The school needs to be held accountable for it. They still haven’t found the test papers.

“The fact they have lost it is disgraceful. It shouldn’t happen.

“It’s just not good enough.”

The mum has raised concerns about the impact this could have on her son’s future and any other students affected.

“They say they have got everything in place to do all that they can and teachers are going to mark them from across the year. They’re saying there’s going to be no detriment to the kids.

“It wasn’t until the last part of the year that he was even in school for face-to-face teaching so the teachers haven’t really got a chance to get to know him.

“If he was relying on chemistry to get into university we worry what impact this could have had.

“You just wouldn’t expect that from the school.”

Michael Skelly, headteacher at Westcliff High School for Boys said: “The school mislaid one chemistry assessment test for five A Level students.

“The students and their parents were informed and it was made clear to them in writing that they would suffer no detriment or disadvantage as a result of this matter.

“The assessment test was only one part of an entire portfolio of evidence, including two other assessment tests, which the students’ teachers used to determine their Teacher Assessed Grade. “Under the Joint Council for Qualifications arrangements for teacher assessed grades, the school was under no obligation to run the tests.

“Teachers are responsible for selecting the evidence to be used in determining students’ teacher assessed grades and there are flexibilities within the guidance for substituting evidence if a student has missed a test or if a piece of work is mislaid. “The school has written to the small number of students and their parents and held individual meetings with them as we considered this important and transparent. The school’s assessment arrangements are robust and its centre policy on teacher assessed grades has been approved by the examination boards.”

The school said it has been working hard to support and reassure students who have faced “significant anxiety” after the government’s decision to cancel exams.