GOVERNMENT reforms to GCSE exams will heap added pressure on the shoulders of students, according to a Worcestershire headteacher.

The exam regime in England will be overhauled this September, with the aim of matching the standards of the world's leading education systems.

Pupils will be expected to study the core academic subjects forming the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) at GCSE, under changes set out by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

These will see the grade considered to be a "good pass" at GCSE set at the equivalent of a current low B or high C.

However, Hanley Castle High School's head Lindsey Cooke said this raises the bar for already under-pressure pupils and could mean "shoehorning" all students into doing subjects that are not for them.

Under the plans, pupils starting secondary school in September will study the Ebacc subjects – English, maths, science, history or geography, and a language – at GCSE in 2020.

Only a "small minority" of pupils for whom the Ebacc "will not be appropriate" will not take the exams.

The way GCSEs are graded is changing from the current A to U system to a nine to one scale – with nine the highest.

A "good pass" - currently a C or higher - will be set at grade five under the reforms, which is comparable to a low B or high C and "raises the bar for performance across the board".

Ms Cooke said: "In the first couple of years there's going to be a huge amount of confusion, because some will be assessed on the new system and some on the old.

"That will be confusing for parents, students and employers.

"They're saying that a five will be the lowest level of acceptable pass, but what that means is the students who don't achieve [a grade five] will be labelled failures and that's just not fair.

"I'm disappointed and upset on behalf of the hardworking students who will be affected."

Ms Cooke said Hanley Castle already allows its students to take the Ebacc – but stressed it is not a one size fits all qualification.

"We're proud of our record in the Ebacc, but we don't think it's suitable for all students," she said.

"For some students it's important to find courses that meet their needs and abilities, rather than shoehorning them into a qualification where there's not much hope of success.

"What the Government is doing is putting more and more pressure on students.

"These proposals aren't balanced and results will depend on a student's performance over two or three days."

Dyson Perrins head Stuart Wetson said the new exams will provide "a challenge" for schools to get to grips with.

For students, he believes it will mean "a lot will come down to performance on the day of the exams".

"The new style of GCSEs will undoubtedly pose us with a challenge in the next few years as they are designed around linear learning and terminal exams," he said.

"Where once students could have had the security of knowing that coursework or controlled assessments would count for 40 or even 50 per cent of their final grade, now it will all be about knowledge retention and being able to apply two years’ worth of learning in one or two exams at the end of Year 11...

"A lot will come down to performance on the day of the exams and the students’ ability to recall and apply their knowledge."

Mr Wetson welcomed the new progress measures, which he said will "take educators away from the fixation of C/D borderline students" and instead focus more on whether pupils have made progress from their starting points.

Mrs Morgan said: "As part of this Government's commitment to social justice we want every single person in the country to have access to the best opportunities Britain has to offer - starting with an excellent education.

"This means ensuring children study key subjects that provide them with the knowledge they need to reach their potential- while setting a higher bar at GCSE so young people, their parents and teachers can be sure that the grades they achieve will help them get on in life."