A WORCESTER headteacher has admitted he feels like he may not be able to do his job under “farcical” new rules governing school league tables.

In an open letter to Worcester MP Robin Walker, Neil Morris, headteacher at Christopher Whitehead Language College, has called the plans “ill-conceived” and urged that the plan is put off until September next year.

Under the plans, which were announced at the end of September and came into force immediately, only a pupil’s first result on a GCSE exam counts in school league tables.

But Mr Morris, who has been a headteacher for ten years, slammed the introduction of the policy and hit out at the fact teachers had only found out about it when it was reported in the press.

“We’re all fuming about it,” he said.

“It’s the third or fourth time this current GCSE group has had their courses changed while they’re doing it.

“They just keep moving the goalposts and it’s the kids that are affected.

“It’s pitting teachers and headteachers against children and parents and really we should be working together for the same thing.”

The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, claims many schools are entering pupils for exams before they are ready to ‘bank’ good grades and the practice was damaging their education.

But Mr Morris said entering pupils early for exams was an important part of making sure they were up to standard.

“We are just trying to get our children to the standard where they can pass an exam,” he said.

“When we were sold the Conservative dream we were told we would be masters of our own destinies but in the last few years I’ve had less freedom than I’ve ever had.

“It’s not a game, it’s messing with their [children’s] lives when he’s supposed to be working with us.

“Its not a way to run a school and it’s not a way to run a system.”

In the letter, Mr Morris hits out at Mr Gove for announcing the changes less than a month before pupils were scheduled to sit a maths GCSE exam – and the day before the teacher’s strike.

Meanwhile, Mr Walker said he had not yet seen the letter but he was happy to listen to the headteacher’s views about government policy.

The school will be holding a meeting with parents on Tuesday to discuss the proposals.

“For the first time, I’m feeling I don’t know if I can do this job but I don’t want to let anyone down,” Mr Morris added.

“I’d like him (Michael Gove) to step back and let us do our jobs.

“He might just find we do it better.”