NORTH-EAST schools and councils are backing a legal challenge over the exam regulator’s refusal to regrade this summer’s English GCSE papers.

Last Friday, an alliance of schools, local authorities, teaching unions and individual pupils, began the legal challenge against Ofqual, the exam regulator for England.

The group includes 113 schools, 36 councils, seven teaching unions and 180 pupils.

The Northern Echo has confirmed that North-East schools and councils are backing the action.

The schools involved include St Aidan’s Church of England Academy, in Darlington, Greenfield Community College, Newton Aycliffe , County Durham, Heaton Manor School and Gosforth Academy, both in Newcastle.

Local authorities supporting the challenge include Darlington, Hartlepool , Newcastle, South Tyneside and City of York.

The move follows an outcry from many schools and teaching unions over this summer’s English GCSE grades.

The alliance is complaining that the GCSE English exams taken in June were graded more harshly than papers taken in January.

Particular concerns were voiced after substantial numbers of pupils who were expected to get a C pass mark were given a D fail.

But despite calls from schools and teaching unions to upgrade D passes to Cs, where appropriate, Ofqual has so far refused to budge.

What is known as a preaction letter from a barrister, warning that legal action will be taken in the High Court unless there is some movement from Ofqual, was also sent to the exam boards AQA and Edexcel.

The alliance’s letter states: “It is inconceivable that two cohorts of students enrolled for the same course in the same academic year, who have undertaken the same work and invested the same effort, and who will be competing in future for the same opportunities, should be subjected to such radically different standards of assessment and award.”

An Ofqual spokeswoman said: “The matter is now in the hands of our lawyers and we will respond in due course.”

Hopes were raised in England after ministers in Wales decided to regrade pupils’ English papers last week, but Ofqual still shows no sign of shifting.

Ofqual and the exam boards have seven working days to respond to the letter.

Last week, Darlington MP Jenny Chapman wrote to Ofqual on behalf of 102 GCSE students in the town who missed out on grades expected.