Richard Garner: This is all about school rankings in league tables

It started with the SATs tests for 11-year-olds. Now GCSE candidates in maths and English are being put forward for exams to bolster their schools' league table positions.

Thousands of pupils are being put in for them early – a practice condemned by exam boards and headteachers' leaders who say it means teenagers are cramming for exams for months on end and not learning anything new.

Figures show the number of pupils taking English in the winter before the rest of their GCSEs has gone up by 34.5 per cent (or by around 50,000 pupils).

However, their results were poorer, with only 8.5 per cent getting an A* or A grade compared with 16.8 per cent in the summer.

Schools are now ranked on the percentage of pupils getting five A* to C grades including maths and English. If fewer than 35 per cent clear this hurdle, the school could face closure or takeover by a neighbouring successful school.

As a result, schools are putting candidates in early – in the knowledge they can resit in the summer if they fail to get a C-grade pass.

The early sitting will tell teachers just how much they have to improve to get a top-grade pass.If they get a top-grade pass, they can then concentrate on boosting their grades in other subjects.

As Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "It's about getting pupils through to the C grade. There are students for whom early entry is the right move but schools and colleges should make this decision based on what is right for the individual, not because of government accountability measures."