A YORK headteacher has blasted the "mealy-mouthed so-called experts" who denigrate the exam achievements of today's pupils.

Stephen Smith, head of Fulford School, says society should instead acknowledge the success and efforts of teachers and their pupils, and be proud of what they have achieved.

He said: "In 1959, only one person was able to run a four-minute mile. Today, any good club athlete can achieve this; yet the mile is still a mile. So what has changed?

"First of all, I do not wish to belittle achievements of past students. But we are not comparing like with like. An AS/A2 is very different from the A-level students sat in 1959."

Mr Smith's comments were made in the school newsletter to parents, the Fulfordian, before this week's row over exam results which culminated in yesterday's publication of an independent inquiry into allegations of grade fixing.

Schools chief inspector Mike Tomlinson, who headed the inquiry, said the exercise will lead to affected students having higher grades, but no one will have grades cut.

He said: "I am satisfied that some students have been incaccurately graded."

Mr Smith said in the newsletter that he congratulated all students for achieving an excellent set of results, especially A2 candidates (final year students), who had the first set of results following reforms introduced in 2000.

He thanked staff for their hard work and high standards of teaching.

"The only disappointing thing is to hear a number of politicians, industrialists and other so-called experts denigrate the achievement of our youngsters by saying that the pass rate is so high only because standards are falling."

He said Ofsted had reported earlier this year that the standard of teaching had never been higher. "So let us reject this mealy-mouthed denigration of success and excellence, and instead acknowledge the success and efforts of our teachers and youngsters, and be proud of what they have achieved. I know that I am."

Updated: 10:56 Saturday, September 28, 2002