Private schools are being investigated for malpractice after “credible evidence” some over-inflated teacher grades issued when exams were cancelled because of Covid.
Ofqual chief regulator Dr Jo Saxton told MPs this morning that individual private schools were being investigated by exam boards.
Top grades at private schools soared when exams were cancelled and replaced with teacher grades.
However, they plunged this year when exams returned – despite top grades for grammar schools, which also have more higher-attaining students, hardly falling.
While some experts suggested the data may support arguments that independent schools inflated last year’s grades, others urged caution on drawing conclusions.
Rob Halfon, chair of the education select committee, asked Saxton today whether this was evidence private schools “gamed the teacher assessed system”.
“Tempting as it is to make comparisons, it was a totally different form of assessment. That said, Ofqual takes all allegations of malpractice and cheating extremely seriously,” she said.
“We require the boards to investigate any credible evidence of malpractice and cheating. I know there are ongoing investigations.”
Pressed further at the hearing into this year’s exam results, Saxton clarified that there were individual cases of malpractice being investigated at private schools.
She said while exam boards run the investigation, Ofqual is tasked with monitoring them – so she was unable to comment further.
On the more broader issue of the difference in grades between private and state schools, Saxton said: “It’s one of reasons I was incredibly glad we could reinstate exams – it proves exams are the fairest form of assessment.
“It’s similar to the unfortunate issue we see with regions. There were differences in results in independent schools and other school types that existed prior to the pandemic.
“They were exacerbated without exams and we’ve seen the results from 2022 are closer to those that existed prior to the pandemic.”
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