A leading south east London head teacher has warned that the Government’s decision to cancel exams this summer will have "disastrous" consequences for children.

Serge Cefai clams that axing exams will further discredit school qualifications, undermine teaching standards and damage the credibility of the education system.

He also slammed some teachers and union leaders for spending "a great deal of time and effort looking for medical reasons to keep schools closed."

Mr Cefai, head teacher of Sacred Heart Catholic School in Camberwell, south east London, said he feels "completely let down" by educational leaders after what he described as the "most demanding and stressful year in education" for decades.

He said: "I am fearful, not only for the pupils I am directly accountable for, but also for a whole generation of children ­currently floundering in a sea of mismanagement and confusion."

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Mr Cefai, who is also executive head of St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham, has spent his entire career in inner-city state schools.

He said: "The schools in south London I am responsible for are outstanding examples of what our once fine education system can produce, and full of brilliant students and fantastic teachers.

"Despite being in so-called 'disadvantaged' areas, both schools have a 'no excuses' policy that does not patronise, expects high standards and focuses on ­working closely with the home and local community to produce not only great academic results, but also well-balanced, confident pupils ready to take on the world.

"The UK’s education system, at its best, can be a true vehicle for social mobility. I arrived in the UK aged four, an illiterate boy from a poor background in Tunisia. Good teachers and good schools showed me the way to success in a new land.

"I often say to my teachers: you make a real difference and change lives. In the midst of the pandemic, however, I increasingly find myself feeling let down by our leaders.

"Of course, the problems we are all facing are complex. But from hapless politicians to underperforming Ofsted officials, from ­rudderless union leaders to money-grabbing exam boards, does no one understand not only the immediate damage their decisions are causing but the catastrophe that now lies ahead for our children?"

He added:"I used to think the Covid nightmare and the impact it will have on our children’s futures was the result of well-meaning people doing their best but not being up to the job.

"But I have come to a far bleaker conclusion. It is not the result of ignorance or incompetence, but of sheer indifference at higher levels. The credibility of our education system is at stake here.

"It is not too late to improve matters, but our leaders must set politics aside and listen to those who have the best interests of our children at heart."