OXFORDSHIRE County Council said last night it cannot yet tell how many pupils are achieving the national target because of disparities in how results are being reported.

The education authority said it was because some schools chose to submit their best results – which include resits – while others submitted their official results, which don’t include resits.

Changes introduced by the Government mean that a school’s position in league tables depends on the first sitting of an exam, with resits not being taken into account.

But some schools are ignoring this and releasing their best results.

County cabinet member for education, Melinda Tilley, said: “This is very much a new regime – which inevitably makes it difficult to make meaningful comparisons with results from previous years.

“However, it is right that the Government has focused on ensuring GCSEs represent a tough challenge for students.”

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