The boundary changes in the grading of this year’s examinations have disadvantaged many thousands of pupils and their schools. Ofqual has failed to take any responsibility or to hold the awarding bodies to account. Michael Gove has failed to intervene.

The government wants to stabilise results so the number of pupils awarded A*-C grades does not rise. It has also raised the A*-C floor target to 40 per cent - 5 per cent more than in 2011.

It is astonishing that the education secretary cannot see that it is not possible to set ever higher GCSE floor targets for schools while, at the same time, not recognising improvements in attainment for fear of accusations of grade inflation.

Given the impact of this debacle on pupils’ life chances, we call for an immediate regrading of examinations. We also call for an independent inquiry into whether the examination system has been manipulated by the government.

Geoff Barton, headteacher, King Edward VI School; Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT; Melissa Benn, author of A Comprehensive Future; and other representatives from the education sector.