Maths teacher criticised after suggesting Oxbridge candidate may be happier at Bangor In the TES article, entitled "Maths - put the brakes on," Mr Griffiths wrote that while most of the aggravation suffered by teachers comes from pupils who lack motivation, children who are "driven" and "obsessed" can be "just as draining." Recounting a conversation with one pupil fitting that description, he wrote: "'Apart from you, [name removed], who cares what you get in your A level?' I ask, firmly. His Bambi eyes look at me in a bewildered way, as if he has just seen me kick a puppy. 'I mean, I care, of course,' I add, swiftly. But what is better: to go to Cambridge with three As and hate it or to go to Bangor with three Cs and love it? Michael is too stunned to reply. Sam Freedman, a policy adviser to Michael Gove, the education secretary, wrote on Twitter that he wanted to "find the kid and rescue him." He added that he could not think of "any circumstances under which 'no one cares about your grade but you' would be acceptable" advice to give a pupil. Paston College teaches more than 600 students aged 16 to 18, and under its former title of Paston School it counted Admiral Lord Nelson and Stephen Fry among its alumni. In its most recent inspection report, published last April, the college was rated as "outstanding" and praised for its "ambition to raise aspirations amongst young people and offer the opportunity to achieve success." The report also noted that staff were "united in striving for excellence" and Peter Mayne, the school principal, announced he was "particularly proud of Ofsted's comments on our ambition for students." Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "It is deplorable that the school is not looking at the pupil's best interests and is asking him to lower his sights rather than raise them. It is entirely unacceptable and it permeates the entire school system. Paston College was closed for the half term break yesterday, and Mr Griffiths could not be reached for comment. Underneath a blog criticising the article, a man calling himself Jonny Griffiths defended it and claimed that the student in question had been so obsessed with exams that it was affecting his grades, so he gave him a "jolt" to help him put his studies in perspective. The student achieved A grades in his maths and further maths exams, and went on to study at Warwick, he added. He said: "In 1978 I went up to Cambridge to read maths, a subject that I ate, drank and slept. Over the years that followed, my love of maths nearly died. I did okay in the exams, but I found the teaching as dry as dust. It seemed to me that Cambridge cared solely about the top 10 per cent, the few who would go on to be professors, and neglected the rest. I'm sure things have changed at Cambridge...but I stand by what I said in my article, that it is better to go to Bangor and love it (which includes being suitably challenged academically) than go to Cambridge and hate it - I think that is self-evident. A Department for Education spokesman said: "We are determined to drive up achievement and standards for all pupils, from the brightest to the least able. We also recognise that there is a problem with coasting schools - ones where staff are happy for pupils to get a B when they could be getting A grades. Our latest performance tables show, for the first ever time, whether schools are successfully achieving for their most able pupils. Elizabeth Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, said: "Teachers should be doing all they can to help keen students get ahead. I am horrified to hear of an enthusiastic student being discouraged from aiming for the top. This is a symptom of the disgraceful culture of low expectations that holds many back, particularly from low income backgrounds.