Peterborough student attacks schools minister for ‘ruining my life’

An A-level student who missed out on a top veterinary school after being handed three D grades has attacked the schools minister for “ruining my life”.

Nina Bunting Mitcham, from Peterborough, who said she was predicted to achieve ABB and scored As and Bs in her mock exams, told Nick Gibb she was distraught after failing to meet her offer from the Royal Veterinary College.

Mr Gibb promised a “robust” and “swift” appeal system which should see challenged grades addressed by September 7 at the latest, telling her: “It won’t ruin your life, it will be sorted I can assure you.”

During BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? Nina, who went to New College Stamford, said: “I have no idea how this has happened. It’s got to be a mistake, I have never been a D-grade student.

“I feel my life has been completely ruined, I can’t get into any universities with such grades or progress further in my life.

“You have ruined my life.”

Mr Gibb said it was “rare” for students to be downgraded three grades from their predicted grades.

He said: “I do feel for you. This should not have happened to you. We don’t want you to have to go through this.

“We have introduced very robust appeals systems that the schools will trigger for students like Nina.

“Those appeals will happen very swiftly.

“The universities have said they will hold offers open until September 7 and we’re working through that now to make sure those appeals happen very quickly.”

Mr Gibb added pupils can also sit exams in the autumn and “many universities are holding places open to start in January”.

Schools in England will be able to appeal against A-level and GCSE grades free of charge, according to the Education Secretary.

Gavin Williamson said it would be a “shocking injustice” if cost stopped appeals being made on behalf of pupils with a “strong and legitimate” case.

Appeals against grades vary between exam boards, with charges of up to £150 for an independent review, and costs are refunded if the appeal is upheld.

There were 3,205 appeals against grades granted for GCSEs, AS and A-levels for exams sat in summer 2019, equivalent to 0.05% of all entries, and 16% – of 516 grades – were changed, according to figures from Ofqual.

Mr Williamson’s announcement came amid further criticism of the Government’s handling of the exams system, after thousands of pupils in England had their results downgraded.