The mental health impact of the new “inhumane” GCSEs on pupils should be assessed by government, an MP has suggested.

Lucy Powell, a Labour member of the Commons Education Select Committee and former shadow education secretary, used this afternoon’s Commons education questions to raise concerns about the tougher exams at the end of key stage 4.

The MP highlighted fears about the impact of the reformed GCSEs on the mental health of pupils, during a question to education secretary Damian Hinds.

She said that “heads have recently warned that the new GCSEs are inhumane, and the collateral damage, as they call it, will be the less able pupils”.

“Given that the health and education select committees recently found that one of the top causes of child mental health is this new exam regime, when will his department take action to assess the impact of the new GCSEs?”

Mr Hinds said the government takes the mental health of young people “extremely seriously”, citing its recent mental health Green Paper.

Private schools ‘opt for easier exams’

He added: “To be fair, I don’t think the concept of exam stress is entirely a new one, and at this time of year there is obviously a heightened stress among some young people.”

He said the new GCSEs and A levels had been benchmarked against the “leading systems in the world to make sure that we have a leading exam and qualification system”.

Ms Powell also suggested that Mr Hinds should force private schools to use the new reformed GCSEs.

The call followed reports that some independent schools are entering pupils for international GCSEs rather than the new GCSEs in the belief that they are easier.

 “Will he ensure that private schools who are opting out of the new GCSEs at the moment are forced to take them as well?” Ms Powell said.

But the education secretary did not respond directly on this point.