Teaching training marking error 'shattered my dreams'

By the time Amy Mellors could reapply, she could not afford to go back into training

A student wrongly told she had failed part of her teacher training course has said her "dreams have been shattered".

Amy Mellors, from Nottinghamshire, lost her place on the PGCE course in 2015 when she failed the literacy test - and could not reapply for two years.

Ms Mellors said she was now "looking at legal options" after being told in June there was an error in the marking.

The Department for Education (DfE) said a review of the system in 2018 found nearly 700 students were affected.

Ms Mellors, 25, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, said she had been initially told she had failed the exam by one mark and was now "gutted" to find out she had actually passed.

The Standards and Testing Agency identified an error in one of the literacy test schemes during a routine review in 2018

"When I first saw the email I couldn't believe it - it broke my heart," she said.

"I always knew exactly what I wanted to do and how to get there but failing the test was as far as I could go."

She added she had always wanted to become a teacher, but said her "dreams have been shattered".

After losing her training place, she had to take agency work.

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By the time she could reapply, she said she had moved out of her parents' house and could not afford to go back into training.

She said: "I have a job in a school as support staff but it is nowhere near the same role or pay scale as a qualified teacher."

A report by the Standards and Testing Agency said 696 people were affected by the marking scheme error between 2014 and 2017 with 528 of them subsequently going on to pass.

In April, schools minister Nick Gibb admitted the marking errors had been going on for 10 years.

Ms Mellors said she has complained to the DfE and was looking at possible legal action.

Danielle Lewis-James, a lawyer for Slater and Gordon, said those affected could complain to the government or ombudsman, or issue civil proceedings against the local authority.

In a statement, the DfE said: "The exam was immediately taken out of use and the department has contacted a number of people who have been adversely affected as a result.

"The department has been working with those candidates who have now received a 'pass' mark and offered compensation."

Ms Mellors, who was offered £100 from the DfE, added: "It doesn't come close to the heartbreak and the suffering and the financial loss that I've had to endure these last four years."