LARKMEAD School is guilty of over-enthusiasm rather than malevolence by naming underachieving pupils on a display in the canteen.

Let’s be frank, putting up a list and photos of pupils deemed needing to improve for their GCSEs was not a plan that was well thought through.

It should have been realised the potential for a negative impact on a few of those named and led to a potential for mocking or bullying.

But we need to realise the motivation behind it was, without question, a wish to see each and every one of those pupils improve.

GCSEs are an important time in all pupils’ lives and the results they get may well determine many of their future options.

One of the real measures of any organisation is how it handles mistakes. As ill-considered as the chart was, you do need to credit the school for realising its mistake and removing it.

Headteacher Chris Harris should also be respected for speaking openly and honestly to the Oxford Mail when the scheme emerged, when many of his peers would have hidden behind obstructive receptionists or PAs.

We hope the parents and pupils recognise this was a mistake made with the best intentions and, in its subsequent handling, the school has shown a level of leadership.