ENGLISH schools and colleges should follow Scotland’s lead on exam results and upgrade students’ A Levels, the principal of a Bury college has said.

Dr Daveth Frost, retiring head of Holy Cross, lambasted England’s grading system saying it has not worked for students.

"Much was promised but there are a number of students who have not got the grades that they worked for and deserved," he added, noting that the issues had left him frustrated and facing a 'really difficult way to end' his time at the college.

Around 96% of sixth form college principals in England reported that overall, the actual grades students received today ­— known as calculated grades ­— were lower or much lower than the ‘centre assessed grades’ predicted by teachers; according to a survey conducted by the Sixth Form Colleges Association on Wednesday.

Despite following the guidelines for developing centre assessed grades, colleges reported that the Government’s standardisation process had resulted in huge numbers of students receiving lower grades than expected, with some reporting that two thirds of their results had been downgraded.

At the 11th-hour yesterday, education secretary, Gavin Williamson, announced a change to the way grades were awarded ­— offering students the choice of accepting their mock exam results if unhappy with their calculated grades.

Meanwhile in Scotland, the devolved Government u-turned to accept teacher estimates of scores.

Dr Frost said: "The calculated grades process has not worked as it should have, and a good number of students have definitely been unfairly downgraded, contrary to the hard evidence of their and the college’s track record.

"Secondly, therefore, by analogy with Scotland, the only way to address this fairly across the country is to trust the judgement of teachers and use the Centre Assessed Grades for all students.

"The whole process is supposed to be based on that knowledge."

He added: “Nicola Sturgeon has put it right and we would like to see this in England.

“We will fight for these students because they deserve the grades they worked for.

“But the Government could make things a lot easier by listening to the teachers grades."