By Matt Smith

A CATALOGUE of errors led to the coursework of 120 GCSE maths students at Alcester High School being lost in the post.

This year's crop of GCSE students - who still received a maths grade at the end of last month - had no clue that their coursework had gone missing.

Exam board OCR said grades students received were based on the candidates' performance in the written examination and from grades given in a teacher assessment.

The calamitous series of events started when the school posted the coursework to the examiner on time. But Parcelforce temporarily mislaid the coursework and it was delivered late to the examiner.

Meanwhile, OCR had changed the name of the examiner responsible for marking the school's coursework so the original examiner posted the coursework back to OCR, using a different delivery company, DHL.

DHL has now mislaid the coursework - and it is still missing.

Alcester High School exams officer and assistant head Mike Edwards said: "It's the first time this has happened. The maths department have the choice either to mark the papers internally or send them to an examining body.

"We made the decision to post them off to OCR in Cambridge.

"We had no power over it nor did the examining body."

A Warwickshire County Council spokesman said: "All 120 pupils affected by this incident received their GCSE, based on their exam results, and the teacher assessment grades for their coursework.

"Some pupils now wish to re-sit the exam to improve their grade and need to resubmit their coursework.

"The school is in the process of negotiating with the exam board to allow the teacher assessment grades to be used again."

The spokesman added: "Any parents with concerns should take this up with the exam board."