Stay Away From Cabair Bournemouth

[blue_sky_here]

STAY AWAY FROM CABAIR BOURNEMOUTH!!

I've had a horrible experience with cabair;
The reasons are:

-Lack of instructors

-Poor standard of training:I've been with Cabair for a while,met a bunch of students and NEVER,I say again,NEVER anyone got a first time pass.(This is not an opinion but simply a fact.)

-Management/Operations: The school is the furtherest away (compared to the other one in Bournemouth) from the planes.You will need to walk for 15 minuts before you get to the planes.
The ridiculous thing is that there is an operator at the school but she could not even tell you if the plane was refuelled or not. You will waste 1 hour.

-Too many mistakes in the accounting. You need to double check always your balance otherwise.....:rolleyes:

-Aircraft always in maintanance.

-No flying schedules;Most of the time you just stay at school all day with no idea what time you are gonna fly. You need to go to school in the morning and then wait and wait....:bored:

-The treatment and attitude towards the student.

The worst school I have ever attended and I hope few people are gonna make my mistake.


I didn't do the ground school with them,but it seemed ok.

This was my experience of the cabair school.

[SilveR5]

Isn't Cabair considered as one of the top flying schools there??? that's a shame!

look buddy..I know nothing about Cabair...but I think BCFT is a great choice for less money..check them out

all the best

[outertrial]

My friend is with Cabair and the way hes being treated is nothing short of disgusting. If I were him and his classmates I would sue.

[Robthestudent]

As regards BCFT i don't think they have covered themselves in glory either looking at the number of students they are losing.

[trucky04]

I love this website! Not just for the GOOD, usefull things people have to say about schools but also for some of the amusing complete BULLSHOT too!! Sounds to me someone likes their grapes SOUR for some reason or just because they look to blame someone else for their OWN failings! I wonder how many local flying associations will jump on the band wagon and offer a 'helpfull guiding' hand suggesting you go to them instead as one in particular often does!

[T's & P's]

-Lack of instructors
-Poor standard of training:I've been with Cabair for a while,met a bunch of students and NEVER,I say again,NEVER anyone got a first time pass.(This is not an opinion but simply a fact.)
-Too many mistakes in the accounting. You need to double check always your balance otherwise.....

I did my ATPL ground school and IR at EPTA (cabair bournemouth), passed first time with no issues, so thats not really a fact is it? I agree with the lack of instructors - not really their fault, and keeping one eye on your account is standard practice with most schools is it not?

-Management/Operations: The school is the furtherest away (compared to the other one in Bournemouth) from the planes.You will need to walk for 15 minuts before you get to the planes.
The ridiculous thing is that there is an operator at the school but she could not even tell you if the plane was refuelled or not. You will waste 1 hour.

BCFT are in a good position in that they have a door leading directly to the apron. Unless your crawling from cabair to the aircraft its a five minute walk tops. Also, the fuel truck does the rounds quite often and fills up the a/c without prompting, hence why ops won't know the status. They normally call through to check but its usually down to the student to sort it.

-Aircraft always in maintanance.
-No flying schedules;Most of the time you just stay at school all day with no idea what time you are gonna fly. You need to go to school in the morning and then wait and wait....

With only 3 twins and a couple of singles it only takes one aircraft in maintenance to stuff up the schedules...anyway, the aircraft are rather old and i'd rather them properly maintained than not! Again, flying schedules were rather good when i was there (2 months ago!), hanging around all day can become common practice but if your training for a license you should have plenty to do , right?

-The treatment and attitude towards the student.

Lastly, i found that the way you treat the staff dictates the way they treat you, become a little whinger moaning at the slightest of hiccups and your not likely to get much respect in return. They do their best to get you through whichever course your doing so they can make way for the next student. If you have any genuine issues talking to Jane or John (CFI) is probably the best bet. Moaning about it on a public forum is not professional in the slightest.

Just thought a reply from someone who actually trained and completed a course there might be a little more subjective

[blue_sky_here]

If justifiable criticism is considered "sour" then unjustifiable defence of the indefensible can be considered irresponsible.

It would be better for Cabair (according to the response i've had) to take on board authentic complaints and constructive criticisms and make and effort to improve their services which cost their students "DEARLY" in every sense of the word.

[spinnaker]

You will need to walk for 15 minuts before you get to the planes.

So when you finish training, how far away do you think your new shiny jet will be, and how far do you think the car park will be from the crew room? Or will you only accept job offers from companies that provide a crew bus?

Walking is good for you. Don't take my word for it, ask your AME next visit.

[student88]

Apparently you're not allowed to post any negative comments on PPRUNE. There's always someone who tells you you're being sour and that it's actually you whos failed when they actually have no experience of the situation or know who you are. There are some real winners in this forum.

So guys, please. No more negative feedback - some of us don't like it apparently.

S88:ok:

[T's & P's]

Negative feedback makes this forum a great place, it helps prevent other people from experiencing the crap other people have to go through. However, blue_sky's comments are really unfounded and at best apply to probably most schools in the UK (lack of instructors/maintenance issues/scheduling and account issues), its unfair to single out this particular school when in reality there are no major issues affecting it and the student just wanted a moan.

[JugglingSpence]

Hehe, I like it student88.

Personally I've not have the best experience with another branch of CabAir. This thread shouldn't be slammed just for the content although maybe the maybe the original post could have been worded in a slightly better manner.

If I had known how my 'Flying Start' would pan out then I would not have invested in 5 hours flying with them.

In 4.5 hours I've had 3 instructors (2 of which very open about how they were just instructing until that 1st jet job came along), 2 technical problems, a few cancellations, a random phone call asking for £52- they knew they wanted the money but weren't sure of why, the best that they could come up with was maybe it was an upgrade to a 4 seater for 2 hours even though I'd been told that one wasn't chargeable as the C152 had developed a fault, they then canceled that charge and told me that it was a charge for 1 hour but still £52. This, on top of the fact that I always needed two weeks notice to book which given the weather makes getting airborne more than once a month a bit of a lottery.

I've now decided that I've had enough of flying with them and have decided to write-off the remaining 1/2 hour on my voucher and find a new FTO.

Maybe if people felt safe enough to speak freely on this website they may be more inclined to share their experiences.

Personally, I would not recommend using them but I'm sure they have been great for many many people. :ok:

[Oliver Bailey]

Dear Blue Sky Here.....

Firstly, I am totally shocked and quite offended by your recent outburst. Just to list a number of things....

"Poor standard of training: I’ve been with Cabair for a while, met a bunch of students and NEVER, I say again, NEVER anyone got a first time pass.(This is not an opinion but simply a fact.)"

I started with Cabair Bournemouth in June; starting the CPL course...which Cabair say takes 6 weeks....I did it in four weeks with a first time pass, as did my flying partner.

Then it was onto the IR...which took the scheduled 8 weeks...once again a first time pass..out of 5 of us that took the IR 3 passed 1st time, and two partialled.

I'm not sure what you actually expect from a flying school...being spoon fed springs to mind. You are training to be a commercial pilot...now as a commercial pilot, are you not expected to be at the aircraft AT LEAST an hour before, making sure the a/c is fuelled and you are good to go...surely this is not the fault of Cabair Bournemouth...but your own.

As for the walk....it’s a 5 minute walk...tops...please refer to spinnaker's reply, put very well.

This is my favourite..."No flying schedules; Most of the time you just stay at school all day with no idea what time you are gonna fly. You need to go to school in the morning and then wait and wait."

At Cabair Bournemouth...the schedules are planned by a lady called Amy...personally, the best personnel behind an ops desk I have experienced. Schedules...as in any flight school are planned in advanced, you expect some change, not once did I have any bad experiences. As for the "no idea what time you are going to fly"...I think this sums the post up...nothing a simple phone call...or a slight bit of personal organisation can't help.

I cannot recommend Cabair at Bournemouth enough...I had a great couple of months on the coast, all the staff were VERY helpful...always looking out for the student. I believe you get out of your training what you put in. I have no experience of other flight schools around the airport; however I have heard good reports from all.

[VFE]

I find it a commendable and sometimes brave practice to use the anonymity of this website to air bad experiences of FTO's. Most thrive on silence given the implications a grievance has on the bearer so don't shoot each other down for speaking up. Lawd knows you are all spending enough money on this trip so it's foolish not to read what people already involved here have to say. Sometimes we don't want to hear things which may upset us but to accuse someone of "sour grapes" when they start a thread like this is childish and extremely patronising. Nobody can catagorically state whether anything here is fact or fiction, that part is down to your own intellect when reading. My advice is to count up the good posts versus the bad posts when assessing a potential FTO.

VFE.

[preduk]

Oliver if you're truly offended by his comments then you need to get a life mate, your not the CEO of the company, you don't own it and your not a staff member so you have no reason to be offended.

It's amazing that people call them sour grapes, what are they supposed to do if they have had a real bad experience? Just shut up and let them continue doing it.

Get a grip.

[Oliver Bailey]

get a grip...didnt really think pprune was used for personal abuse. however when you've spent the majority of your training with a company and made many friends...its not the type of thing you want to read.

:ugh:

[BigGrecian]

I've never been to Cabair Bournemouth but the comments certainly meet the stereotypical weak student who expects to be spoon fed.

However, it all depends on who you talk to about pass rates, hang out with those who fail then you'll hear those stories. Those who pass first time tend to move on pretty quickly and get their first job pretty quickly as their not sat around moping. Those who fail and pick themselves up do the same.
Those who sit around moping - moan on PPrune as well and are still looking for their job :ok:

[ChrisLKKB]

Its such a shame. When the guy who runs Cabair was running SFT it was such a good school, a lot of ex students will testify to that, that is it was until it closed it's doors with everyones money on the other side. :rolleyes:

I've never been to Cabair Bournemouth but the comments certainly meet the stereotypical weak student who expects to be spoon fed.

Yes you are probably right BG, students shouldn't worry about trivial things like a lack of instructors or poor trainning standards, students should be naturals, stop whining and teach themselves.

Students should automatically know if a plane requires fuel and if it does he should spend his own time waiting for it and allow it to eat into his own flying slot.

Why do they always moan when the accounts department gets their bill wrong, they should just pay up and be gratefull they are allowed to fly at all and as for complaining because the aircraft always seem to be in maintenance, how absurd, this is a flying school what do you expect, they'll be expecting some sort of flying schedule next.

All schools have students that moan about them don't they ?

Well not all of them, PAT at Bournemouth and Bristol rarely if ever seem to attract any complaints here, I wonder if that's because they are run the way a flying school should be run. :ok:

[Flying Squid]

well well this has ruffled some feathers hasn't it. Ollie...congrats on having a great experience with Cabair, sadly many other don't and that's the reason EPTA are desperately trying to stop the hemerage of flying students to other schools on the airfield. It's absurd that people should be shot down for criticizing these companies, if you aren't getting what you're paying for then speak up or vote with your feet guys.

As far as the 15 minute walk to the aircraft.....no it's more like just over 5 minutes so can't back anyone on that one I'm afraid.

It's a shame that EPTA is going down hill on the flying side because the girl that does Op's is good at what she does and the instructors are good too. Sadly I think the problem lies with the attitudes of certain other figures within the school and this together with the more expensive training costs are the real reason people are staying clear and going elsewhere. I know of many students who were fed up with the way they have been treated throughout groundschool and that put them off CPL/IR training with them. In essence, I think it's fair to say that one side of the company is directly suffering s a result of the other side's action's. They'll always be bad stories coming out of every school, it's to be expected.

I maintain that the groundschool is very very good and DOES produce impressive ATPL result's. However when people are considering where to spend the next wadge of money, they think about their experience over the course or their ATPL's which will generally count FOR Cabair. What will sadly piss all over this positive point is the treatment of students whilst on groundschool. When EPTA starts treating groundschool CUSTOMERS as CUSTOMERS then they will soon see the number of flying students rise! Until then I think that the flying side of EPTA will continue to unfairly suffer. That's my 2 pennies worth, have a great weekend all!

F S :ok:

[biaeghh]

I understand the flying side is moving over to the other side of the airfield, with the groundschool staying in the west side. It would also appear they have taken a stake in world wide aviation, the maintenance company, which ultimately means another company will lose its good reputation. hey ho

[Robthestudent]

Sadly Cabair have always had a poor rep, in the case of bournemouth you only have to look at the management, in particular the md who brought around the demise of sft. Looking at the previous post it does not make any sense for the flying side to be 'off site'..so bia i would check your facts.

[Flying Squid]

Rob - The rumours are true. EPTA flying side is moving right around the other side of the airfield. With no direct access from the main offices to where they are to be located I would guess that some of the admin will also move i.e payign for flight. otherwise that will be a complete pain in the arse! A 5 minute walk turned into a 5 minute drive (when the traffic around the permiter road is good that is). Anyway, that's upto them.

FS :ok:

[Robthestudent]

Sorry BIA, you were right.

What i don't understand why are cabair getting into bed with a maintenace company when theuy should be indulging their students!!!

Good luck to worldwide as well as any company that has cabair dna over it always loses.

[Flying Squid]

The flying side moving may have been done to allow expansion of the groundschool facilities etc. I may be wrong but that's how it appears anyway. The number of students has grown with the Uni courses over the last few months so maybe that's why.

FS :ok:

[Robthestudent]

not really relevant to this thread but understand that there will be a new maintenance organisation starting up on the north west sector of the airport, middle to late next year, primarily catering for the GA world up to kingairs etc..

[jamie230985]

I have to say when I read this thread I was pretty shocked, such a damming report from a school that did me such good.

I spent a good 6 months there doing my ATPL theory a little while ago and have used CabAir for every part of my training from 0 hours right through. CabAir (just like every FTO) has its problems, instructors come and go, its the nature of the job i'm afraid.

One of the biggest areas that I feel you outlined was about lack of scheduals. Surely you must realise you are training to be a "Commercial Pilot" hense you need to start taking ownership of your training. What will you do if your working for Ryanair and your fuel isn't there on time? You'd obviously talk to whoever you needed to to sort the problem out.

Ultimately you failed something with CabAir and have now decided it is their fault and not your own. One thing I have leart from my training is that there are no perfect pilots just like there are no perfect FTO's but if you sit there and bad mouth places on PPRuNe then it shows a lot about your attitude to flying in general.

My advice to you would be to look into the statistics. Your claim that NOBODY passes first time with CabAir is ridiculous. CabAir owns the most successful CPL programme in the UK based at Wycombe which achieves 90% plus first series passes and 100% second series passes. I know because I did the research and I passed with CabAir FIRST TIME!!!

If you treat the staff at Bournemouth with respect and if they see you are dedicated and hard working they will do their best for you, FACT!!!!

[Mr Blue 1]

on the good side, most the instructors are nice, knowledgeable and very helpful when they teach. They have handouts that are updated and good reference. They do not hesitate to give up their lunches to help out! Generally most students do pass on first attempt, but no matter where you go, IF YOUR WILLING DO THE WORK YOU WILL PASS TOO.

On to the not so good side now. The problem here it's a pretty lengthy list, but I'll talk about the most popular ones. 1) The text books, are out of date and a complete waste of time to read. Pretty much why the instructors are forced to give out hundreds (yes hundreds) of pieces a paper per class to make up for it. A lot of students for example bought Bristol GS books in the beginning to make up for the crappy books. 2) Yes the walk to the planes can be annoying, but not a ridiculously big deal. 3) Getting any money owed to you is utterly useless! At times I walked in quite politely asking for the money and kept getting excuses such as they have to talk to head office or I should get everyone together in the class who wants there money. (that is not my job, I was only asking for what was mine). At times I really needed the money too. 4) The building could be in a little better shape but not a disaster 5) this is the biggest problem. Over the instructors heads and yes to someone high in the ground instruction section. This person literally treats the ground instruction like "headmaster to students/kids" in a boarding school. Not "teacher to students" and adults/customers, like it should be. A rude offending comment/threat was made to the class in an occasion, which was not necessary! (I will keep the actual comment on the down low for its offending matter). This person hands out letters about absences and has suggested getting Dr. notes if sick. (this cost 10pounds, plus 90% of the time a Dr. note it not necessary just a day or 2 of bed rest) If absences is a problem with some students, this person would get so much further ahead if he/she just sat down the class and said at the beginning about there is a minimum amount of hrs to be made and over the course it works out to "X" amount of days. You miss out that much then you can not write, THAT SIMPLE! Instead of hiding the actual minimum from everyone and talking down (literally like your 10yrs old). 6) Also kind of has to do with 5...recently a certificate was brought out upon completion. At first it seemed like a good idea until when you take a look at it, it litterally looks like a 10yrs old did it on photoshop, with a cartoon looking plane in the back. Also at the end of the certificate student may have a 95% in the end but got 1 test e.g. 79 the certificate will say a bare pass student. Should say "honour role 90%+ or nothing at all) Pretty unprofessional really, what's currently there. Take a look at any degree or certificate handed out from a school and it looks professional, not an embareassing one you wouldn't want to show to an possible employer.

I myself have turned away a friend from school at Cabair for it's ground school reasons (which probably effects it's flying side of the school) I just hope Cabair take a look at a couple issues and fixes it for there own sake!

[jamie230985]

Mr Blue 1, I agree with the odd comment that you made however you are passing judgement on things you do not know everything about.

For example, did you know that the Flying side of Cabair Bournemouth is being re-located to a new facility on the opposite side of the airfield next to the ramp where the a/c are to be located?

Did you also know that the original groundschool building is set to be re-vamped and designed for just groundschool similar to those at Cranfield?

What about the new management structure being put in place with Wycombe Air Centre in charge of the training standards?

For those of you that do not already know, Wycombe has the best CPL pass rate in the UK and having studied there I know the standards that are expected.

The CabAir textbooks are shocking, I totally agree, I think i might have used them for comms & that was it. I agree that side needs to be seriously looked into however it costs money and CabAir are having to make many instructores redundant due to the recession so I doubt they can afford to pay 3 or 4 instructors to spend all their time re designing the textbooks like Oxford had to a few years back.

[Nearly There]

Wycome do have a great reputation,

Wycombe has the best CPL pass rate in the UK

But I must have heard this quote from about 5 UK schools now.

[jamie230985]

you may well have however I have seen the letter from the CAA congratulating Wycombe and specifically stating that they currently boast the best pass rates in the UK!!

proof is proof my friend!!

[Nearly There]

You may have seen a letter but it depends how far back the records began, if its for a week, a month, a year, 10 years, how long the school has been operating?
A new school starts up next week and gets one guy through his CPL first go, a 100% record then, they loose there CPL instructor so only do PPL for 6 months, a year, whatever, do they then get a letter from the CAA saying congrats on your 100% CPL record for stated time period/year.
Is the CAA letter sent out annualy, weekly, does it state over a given time period?

The school I went to, me and another guy where the first 2 cpl students for a particular instructor, we both passed first go, the school stated during a phone conversation with someone 'he has a 100% record for 1st time passes' well yes he does but come on...see what Im getting at figures can be played with.

Not looking for an argument or saying I dont believe you, just interested on what facts and figures the statistic is based on, and nothing on there website regarding it, they should be shouting it from the rooftops at this present time.

:ok:

[Robthestudent]

Cabair have had their aircraft based around the north east side of the airport at a place called worldwide aviation. I am not sure what the extent of their relationship is (ie cabair bought into worldwide) but cabair have already made an impact in their new location, quite literally by damaging a cessna caravan in a taxing incident with one of their duchesses..(could worldwide already be regretting this merger).

I also understand that cabair have their aircraft based over on the north east side with their flight ops still at north west side which must be at the very best a ten mile round trip by car.

I did not realise that the caa were sending out congratulatory to organisations for doing their job well, can we expect them to send letters out to fto's that might not be acheiving the pass rates that wycombe are and publicising them therefore helping potential students choose their ftos ..no didn't think so,

[dartagnan]

I did not realise that the caa were sending out congratulatory to organisations for doing their job well

ahahah, how naive you are guys. of course the government can not recommend a school. thats not their job and it would be undemocratic and illegal in our society.

oh please, stop to belive the number of BS on line like.
100% of student pass their test with a 100%...what about bristol in this case?

since I am in this business, 1990, it has always been the same. all bullock!

the school near where I live, just closed their doors, taking money of their students.
that's the reality guys. so go head, believe what you want, schools wants your money, nothing else. they don't care about you, they care about your money!oxford or cabair, or XXX, they are just a business to make money.

just be ready to lose your money if you are in one of these integrated scam schools, because recession is here, and sounds like more a depression than a recession.

so play SAFE, go modular, and stay away from these schools asking you thousand of grands in advance.:ok:

[jamie230985]

sounds like someone has sour grapes dartagnan!!

to answer your question Nearly There, Wycombe has been operating for over 40 years with the same management structure in place for in excess of 20.

Put it this way, the school has been congratulated on its training and its success in getting students through, take from it what you like but i have never been in a school like it & i have never seen a CEO work so hard to give students what they want and need.

[dartagnan]

perso, I dont really care where guys spend their money, cuz flight school will get you and will suck you dry!

but i have a good laugh, when guys say this and that, they pass 100% to some crap of written test, etc...in my time, we didnt have computer, and we passed tests as well.

at the end, all matter count is money, and motivationand how much money you will have left.

plenty of good schools at decent price around. the futur is modular.so look for modular, and give up these expensive schools.

I go fly now...:E

[Mr Blue 1]

Ok "Nearly There" is quite correct! All schools (At least the management side of it) Is only out to make money. They wouldn't have a job if they didn't. The thing is how they go about doing it.

All schools will alter pass rates etc to there advantage. i.e. taking a class that all passed well one year, and leaving out the not so go class in another. How do you think a school would do if they claimed only an 80% pass rate when all other ones altered there mark to 100% and yes Jamie23... I do have evidence to this, by knowing a former instructors myself explaining a bit of the behind scene advertisements. I've talked to and seen students who have failed at schools who claim high "assured" pass rates. So there is a bit of tampering going on!

Also yes I did know Cabair is apparently "restructuring" the building and flying fleet is in a new facility! Hence why this wasn't a big deal in my report however this is the current situation, and the people considering Cabair in the next year or years (if this "re-vamping" ever gets started) should know about.

As for this new management system set up by Wycombe to Cabair. Let me take a quote from there website. "The company’s prime objective has always been to provide honest high quality of service. A friendly and professional atmosphere is always in evidence." If that includes offence threats to a class (again will not say on this website for it's potential harm) from a CGI, childish looking certificates that label students as "bare pass" with over 90% average (NO FAILS), and pushing to know what you do in your absences as adults (people sick, gone to friends funeral, business emergency) then ya that management system is well professional... it is obviously in need of looking. This is the current situation and people considering Cabair Bournemouth now should know about.

[Keith.Williams.]

All your bluff and bull**** edited Keith,

That will remain the case as long as FTO's and CAA don't publish actual audited results.

Doesn't matter how many McDonald's stars you hand out for best handwriting and polished shoes when the training industry makes sure no one can see the truth. I've listened to all the no but, yes buts from FTO's for more that 30 years now - I started in September 1975.

Don't even dream about putting up that pathetic grading system again. Marketing spin, bull**** and nothing else as long as potential students can't find the same information they can about their secondary school and its results.

For students outside the UK: I'm sure regular PPRuNers can and will provide links to their secondary schools to demonstrate my point. Direct comparison of results across schools in the UK via the internet.

Flight Schools taking tens of thousands of pounds from you - no audited, impartial information.

CAA taking hundreds in exam fees from you- no audited, impartial information on the schools and their results

Free secondary schooling in the UK? - deluged in information, league tables and historical data.

The reason PPRuNe is run by experienced, working airline pilots is because no other bastards will tell you the whole, spinfree truth.

Rob

[Keith.Williams.]

To Mr Blue 1

I posted a response to your comments, but it was removed by one of the Moderators. A copy will be placed on the notice board so that you and all of the other students can consider it.


To Rob The Moderator.

The Certificate was introduced because it is a CAA requirement (specified in the Standards Document for Ground Schools). I first became aware of this after a PPRUNE member asked about such certificates here on PPRUNE. When I reasearched the matter I found the requirement. At the moment very few schools issue them, but all ground school students are entitled to receive one.

The grading system was introduced because some students had asked for one. You will also find students asking for a grading system in the BGS Website. For fairly obvious reasons, such systems will be popular with students who expect to do well, but less so with those who expect to do badly.

Whilst you may critiscise the lack of clarrity in the wider field of Flight Training, the EPTA ground school grading system is entirely transparent.

It includes 3 pages.

The first page gives the student's name, the grade awarded and the date.

The second page gives a list of the results for all 14 of the JAR exams. This is something that many students in many schools have been asking for for a long time. The CAA issue a results sheet for each exam sitting, but they do not issue a single overall record. In many cases the students have lost their CAA resulst list by the time they start their commercial flying training, so they have to call back to the school to get a free replacement (or pay £30 to the CAA for one) It also gives details of attendance record and attitude to training. There is nothing about nice handwriting or shiny shoes I'm afraid. Many students wear trainers with their uniform, so shiny shoes are out of the question.

The third page shows a table specifying exactly how the grading system works.

You may question whether such a certificate has any value, but it is not reasonable to argue that it is not transparent. Even if only a single school were to award such certificates, any reader could immediately understand how the grade was determined.

A number of the comments made by Mr Blue were quite simply untrue.