Parents Fuming After GCSE Pupils Learn Wrong Syllabus For 10 Weeks At Top School

Parents at a boarding school in Somerset have been left fuming after it emerged that GCSE pupils had spent months studying the wrong book.

Students at £10,000 a term Downside School in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, near Radstock, spent 10 weeks getting to grips with Shakespeare’s The Tempest - only to find out that it wasn’t actually on the syllabus.

Pupils were then forced to swiftly get to grips with J B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls ahead of their GCSE exams in May.

According to the Somerset Guardian, the mistake only came to light after a group of a concerned parents approached the school.

Downside headmaster, Dr James Whitehead, said: "While there was an error with the set text being taught for a period last term, pupils and parents were informed appropriately and there was no negative impact on pupils’ work. The scheme of work was rectified and an additional text has been studied this term.

“The Shakespeare play originally studied was in any event a welcome addition to the course programme, as study of Shakespeare is recommended at this key stage; we expect our pupils to attain excellent results in English in the GCSE examinations in the summer, as is customary here at Downside”.

Downside is an independent Catholic school, serving 350 boys and girls, aged 11-18.

Fees range from about £4,979 per term for day pupils in the junior school, to more than £10,229 per term for boarders in years 9-13.

Not surprisingly, many Year 11 parents probably don’t feel they’re getting their money’s worth at present.

Image: Downside.co.uk