33 per cent of students in the UK got grades 1-3 in their GCSEs, officially a fail. One of those students, Ellie Chick, spoke out on Twitter in a video which went viral
“I made this video to inspire others and to show the government that they should respect people’s needs and do more creative stuff than academic,” Ellie told TES.
Despite having won medals in both regional and national gymnastic competitions Ellie got an F in her PE GCSE.
Her mum Sarah said it had been soul-destroying. “The education system is a fantastic place for many bright students who sail through making the most of opportunities available to them but if you do not fit the academic mould, it doesn’t matter how many times your teachers tell you that you’re talented, every exam result just reinforces the feelings of failure,”
GCSE student pleads: ‘Don’t forget me, Damian Hinds’ (TES, 24 August 2018)