Ofqual, which had previously stated that four in 10 privately educated pupils received extra exam time in 2024, has now admitted the statistics were “significantly overstated” and that the true figure is almost half of that, The Telegraph has reported.

Ofqual added it was pulling 10 years of data from 2014 onwards.

Pupils are usually allowed extra support in exams if they have special educational needs and disabilities or a temporary injury such as a broken arm

In a statement Ofqual said: “Ofqual’s detailed analysis of underlying data from the boards has established that the published figures significantly overstated the number of students receiving access arrangements.”

Tom Bramley, executive director of research and analysis at Ofqual, commented: “We are correcting the record as soon as possible. The access arrangements process has not changed, and students who received support did so appropriately.

“This issue is limited to our access arrangements dataset and our other statistics are not affected.”

Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, commented: “Ofqual is supposed to be the trusted source for exam statistics and as a result of these significant errors, independent schools have wrongly seen their results undermined and their integrity questioned.

“We are pleased that the investigation instigated by the DfE will lead to a correction of the record and we hope an apology will be forthcoming.”