About sixty 2020 Leaving Cert students will have to decide whether they want to pursue legal challenges against the system adopted to calculate their grades.

It's after a student of Belvedere College in Dublin failed to convince the High Court that it was 'unfair and unlawful'.

 

Freddie Sherry, from Celbridge, Co Kildare, was on course to study pharmacy in TCD after his teachers at Belvedere College estimated his Leaving Cert mark at 542 point.

However, his overall result was downgraded by 55 points after the second phase of the calculated grade process, overseen by the Dept of Education, was completed.

He claimed a decision to exclude a school's track record from the final calculation amounted to an 'unlawful interference' by the Minister for Education.

The exclusion led to his grade being unfairly downgraded, he argued.

However, the judge found nothing unlawful or unfair about the decision. He also said it was clear the estimated marks from his school were 'significantly inflated'.

The judgement is likely to influence the next move of about sixty other students who were awaiting today's decision before pursuing their own actions later this month.

 

 

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