About 16 pupils at St Olave’s grammar school in the London borough of Bromley were told their places for year 13 – the last year of school – had been withdrawn after they failed to get the required three Bs.
Lawyers acting for two of the affected families have issued judicial review proceedings against the school’s governing body, also naming Bromley, the local authority responsible for maintaining the school, as an interested party. They claim it is illegal for sixth-formers to be told to leave just because their grades have fallen short.
Other students were told they would be allowed to continue on a discretionary basis and were asked to sign a contract warning that if they did not get a minimum B grade in their mock exams the school reserved the right to not enter them for their A-level exams.
Education experts say a number of other schools – including other high-achieving grammars – are employing similar tactics to ensure the best possible results.
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