RESPECTED headteacher Dr Terry Fish has claimed this year’s tables are “misleading because of the GCSE fiasco”.

Teachers and students were shocked last summer when last-minute changes to grade boundaries left thousands of students with lower than expected English GCSE results.

Mixed results for Dorset Schools: read our main story

The results, which led to many young people getting D grades instead of the expected Cs, caused a knock-on effect with the percentages gaining the benchmark standard varying widely.

Schools were only affected if they used certain examination boards and protests against the move are still going through the courts.

At Twynham School in Christchurch, Dr Fish has seen the percentage gaining at least five A*-C grades, including English and maths, go down from 71 per cent to 58 per cent.

But if English is not counted, results are the same as last year and the average point score for each student has gone up.

Dr Fish said: “The English fiasco has thrown everything into disarray. It depends on which board you used and when papers were submitted so the tables are meaningless this year.”

He said the government is being “ridiculous” in publishing tables before appeals have been resolved, but added: “Fortunately, parents are more sensible than the government gives them credit for and they know their local schools – they won’t be fooled.

To see league tables for your area, click here and choose your town. Then click Schools and follow the links.