Ofqual says plans are in place to help students who cannot make it in, or are at schools that are still closed

A-level students face re-sitting their exams or being given special consideration after failing to make it through the snow in time to sit the tests yesterday.

"You'll find they've all got chocolate and crisps," said headteacher Roy Tedscoe, ruefully, on hearing that The Independent wanted to inspect the content of his pupils' packed lunches.

This year's university graduates will struggle just as hard as last year's to find a job after completing their studies despite an 11.8 per cent increase in the number of jobs on offer.

Hundreds of state schools are today shown as having at least one in ten of their pupils playing truant regularly.

One in ten schools failed to achieve the Government's minimum target of five top grade GCSE passes including maths and English, with the gap between rich and poor pupils growing, league tables published yesterday showed.