Teachers shift blame for cheating

Exam boards must introduce stricter guards to counter ‘temptation’, say headmasters

TEACHERS risk being placed in an “impossible position” when setting tests in their own subjects, Britain’s leading private schools have warned amid a row with examination boards over cheating.

For the first time, school leaders have urged boards to introduce stricter safeguards after admitting that some teachers are “tempted to give their pupils too much help”.

It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed that teachers at Eton and Winchester College were suspended over allegations that they had leaked exam questions ahead of forthcoming papers.

It has also prompted claims that staff from the top private schools may be over-represented on examination boards – which devise the questions – because they are some of the leading experts in their subjects.

Chris King, chairman of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), acknowledged that more teachers who work as examiners may be swept up in the scandal. However, he said it was up to boards to prevent a “conflict of interest”.

Mr King, who represents the leading private schools in the country, said that the issue had “concerned” school heads “for some time”, but that an urgent meeting had been brought forward to seek assurances from boards that “sufficient safeguards are in place”.

“We need to ensure that senior teachers who take on the responsibility for setting exams are not placed in an impossible position, and the very few who may be tempted to give their pupils too much help cannot do so,” he said.

“We have now requested this meeting is held more urgently than first proposed.”

Earlier this week The Telegraph revealed that Winchester College had suspended its head of art history amid accusations that he gave pupils “advance knowledge” on two exams.

Laurence Wolff, 56, son of the distinguished scientist Prof Heinz Wolff, was suspended with immediate effect after he was found to have given students “prior information” on the two papers.

Earlier, Eton College dismissed its head of economics, Mo Tanweer, after allegations that he shared confidential information about a forthcoming economics paper.

There is no suggestion that any other teachers or students at the two named schools have been involved in wrongdoing.

The controversies have prompted fears among heads that other academics may be engaged in malpractice which could cause serious damage to the reputations of schools implicated and could result in students having their marks voided.

Experts have now called for ministers to ban teachers from setting exams while teaching the same subject, even though this allows them to supplement their income and bolster their CVS.

However, a chief examiner at one leading exam board said it would be “completely unfeasible” to ban teachers from the examination process.

Neil Sheldon, who has been an examiner for more than 40 years, said it is

“completely unfeasible” to ban teachers from taking part in the examination process.

“Right at the beginning it was certainly the case that the majority of those involved in setting and monitoring exam papers were university people,” he said.

“But that has dwindled to virtually nothing and now virtually everyone [setting exam questions] are teachers. Who else would do it?

“There isn’t realistically an alternative to having teachers do it but there need to be very clear checks on integrity,” he added.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Commons education select committee has called on schools to disclose the names of those teachers on their staff who do work for the examination boards.

Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow in Essex and a former education minister, called on schools to publish a list on their websites of those among their teaching staff who also work for examination boards.

“The same teachers shouldn’t be involved in the same exam boards. You can’t be poacher and keeper at once,” he said.

“It should be utterly transparent,” he said.

“Exam boards and headteachers should make it clear which teachers are involved with which boards, they should just have it readily accessible on a school website. They should work together to make sure that there is no cross over.”

An Ofqual spokesperson said: “Trust and confidence in the exam system is paramount. We review all instances of reported malpractice each summer, and the actions the exam boards have taken.

“We will consider if any further action, investigation or strengthening of rules is required.”