‘Suing over GCSEs failure makes my son look stupid’

THE mother of a private school pupil who received just one GCSE said his father should stop complaining because it is making their son “look stupid”.

Her former husband is suing Abbotsholme School after paying £28,000 a year in fees for their son, David, for what he claims is a “failed education”.

However, Rachel Craddock, David’s mother, said the legal action had caused more harm than good by embarrassing the boy.

“You can’t blame the school,” Mrs Craddock, 46, told MailOnline. “Private education is a gamble and one we were prepared to take.

“I hoped my son would have done better in his exams but he failed. That’s not the school’s fault, it’s his.”

Scott Craddock, 58, is suing the school in Rocester, Staffordshire, for £125,000 – the sum he paid in fees. He has argued that David would have done better at state school after he failed seven out of eight GCSEs. He has also set up a website criticising the school.

He has previously said: “The money I spent could have paid for a house when he turns 18.”

Mrs Craddock said her son’s poor performance may have been partly due to the couple’s marital difficulties.

“Maybe the fact he didn’t pass all his exams was partly our fault because we were going through a divorce,” she said.

Mrs Craddock, who is no longer on speaking terms with her former husband, revealed that David was now studying arboriculture and horticulture at college in Cheshire while resitting his science and maths GCSEs.