A LEADING headteacher has criticised Government changes in the way school performance levels are measured, saying it leaves them “between a rock and hard place”.

It comes after five in six Winchester schools saw a drop in pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades — including maths and English — at GCSE level.

The Government’s league tables were released last week and showed that across Hampshire pass rates declined by one per cent, falling to 59 per cent, according to the GCSE results of 2014.

Henry Beaufort, Kings’, Perins and The Westgate schools, along with Swanmore College of Technology, all saw a decline.

But Test Valley School, in Stockbridge, saw figures rise from 58 per cent in 2013, to 69 per cent in 2014.

Henry Beaufort and Perins each saw a marginal decline, with Henry Beaufort dropping from 59 to 58 per cent, and Perins from 67 to 66 per cent.

Kings’ decreased from 83 per cent to 74 per cent, The Westgate from 84 per cent to 76 per cent, and Swanmore College of Technology from 68 to 60 per cent.

Factors including a change in the subjects that can be included in the measure, and the decision to only allow the first entry exam result to count in the performance tables, rather than a student’s best result, combined to hit some schools harder than others.

Head of Kings’ School, Matthew Leeming, said the Government changes put the school in “a bit of a quandary”.

“It put the interests of the school and the interests of the children in entirely opposite corners,” he said.

“A bit irritated is a little bit of an understatement and a rock and a hard place is exactly where it put us.”

He said that the English curriculum changed half way through term in 2013, forcing the school to enter pupils early so they did not lose months of work.

“We felt it would benefit the pupils to stick to plan A,” he said.

Due to the changes in recording results, Mr Leeming said in 2014, 83 per cent of Kings’ pupils achieved five or more A* to C GCSEs including maths and English, but only 74 per cent was accredited to the school.

Perins School’s headteacher Janice Bernard also discussed the changes and said in some cases the differences in results are “staggering”.

She said: “We feel very pleased that as the exam was getting harder we have managed to maintain our position. We were very interested to see Perins’ results against other schools.

“We remain clear that there is work to do, but on the whole we think we are making positive progress.”

Headteacher at Test Valley School, Louisa Hiscock, said she is delighted with the results.

She said: “It is wonderful to see the evidence coming through that the quality of teaching and levels of support pupils receive at our school is making the difference, particularly at a time when there have been a number of changes to the GCSE examinations and so much variation reported by schools nationally and locally.

“Our approach has always been to remain true to the two-year GCSE course, and not take the route of early entries, unless we were confident a pupil is going to achieve their targeted GCSE grade.”

Hampshire County Council’s education chief Cllr Peter Edgar said: “I want to pay tribute to our secondary schools.

“They have dealt with a great deal of change in recent years and their collective performance on behalf of our children deserves recognition.”

Swanmore College of Technology headteacher Kyle Jonathon declined to comment.

Neither Sue Hearle, head at Henry Beaufort, or Paul Nicholson, head at The Westgate School, had responded at the time of going to press.