Performance related pay in schools "may fuel exam fraud."Lawyers warn

Performance-related pay in schools 'may fuel exam fraud'


A new system of performance-related pay in schools risks fuelling a rise in
fraud as teachers attempt to falsify pupils’ results to win salary rises,
lawyers warned today.








Education lawyers claim that
performance-related pay may lead to cheating in the classroom. Photo: REX






By Graeme Paton, Education
Editor

2:36PM BST 26 Apr 2013

3 Comments




Teachers could be tempted to “over-egg” children’s work to prove they are
doing a good job, it was claimed.


The proposals will also lead to major employment disputes within schools as
teachers lodge official discrimination claims after failing to receive higher
pay.


The comments came after the publication of Government guidance last week that
suggested teachers should be denied pay rises for failing to improve pupils’
exam results, keep order in the classroom or take part in extra-curricular
activities.


Schools were also told to get the views of pupils and parents before making
decisions over teachers’ performance.


The advice was made after the Government approved controversial plans to
abolish annual pay rises based on length of service.



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From September, heads will be given complete freedom to pay the best teachers
more money within a minimum and maximum threshold.

But on Friday it was claimed that the move could lead to a rise in teachers
attempting to cheat to earn more money.

Mark Leach, employment partner at law firm Weightmans, told the Times
Educational Supplement: “There is the potential for fraud, particularly if there
is lots of classroom-based work. There has to be the potential for that to
increase.

“Where you link performance to reward, there is the potential for performance
to be over-egged.”

Last year, 130 penalties were issued to schools and colleges for cheating in
GCSEs and A-levels – more than double the number just 12 months earlier.

Five institutions were stripped of the power to run their own exams
altogether and one school had its exam entries suspended.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head
Teachers, said the new pay system was “almost asking for trouble”.

“With any major change, there will be a rise in people testing the edges of
[what is permitted],” he said.

In separate comments, Mr Leach said the performance-related pay system had
the potential to fuel discrimination claims.

Schools must be careful to ensure they impose a completely transparent method
of calculating pay awards, he said, adding: “Where that is not seen to be in
place, that is when complaints will be made; allegations such as: he only got a
rise because he’s white, heterosexual or not too old.

“I can see a real administrative nightmare for schools.”

A spokesman for the Department for Education said pay policies "must set out
in detail how all pay decisions will be made, including how appraisal outcomes
are linked to these decisions."

I presume this is to counter the failure of so many Pupils leaving school without any exam passes, but it is the wrong way to go about it and rife for false marks.
There has been so many changes in the way children are educated so why not go back to the "O" and "A" level exams marked by an outside body .

Panda wrote:I presume this is to counter the failure of so many Pupils leaving school without any exam passes, but it is the wrong way to go about it and rife for false marks.
There has been so many changes in the way children are educated so why not go back to the "O" and "A" level exams marked by an outside body .

Because the "outside bodies" were done for fraud themselves, having been bullied by Government ministers to hit certain targets. Edexcel (in charge of O and A levels in England and Wales) were hit with a massive fine IIRC.

Maybe the Government should stop trying to cram 30 pupils into a class, half of whom can't speak English, and then everyone would at least get some quality time from the teacher. That is the only way to improve results.

Near where I live, the Pakistani children have already taken over a couple of schools and have Special Teachers . Sony did a prediction a few years ago and said while the Western World has only 2 to 3 children , the East has 5 to 7 so in two Generations the Islamic religion will rule the World. Successive Governmentss have failed to address this problem and the sooner the Human Rights bill is amended to allow a halt on immigration the better.
I worked P/T for the NHS a few years ago relieving at various Clinics as a Receptionist. One day I was sent to the Docks area and this old man came in with a few Family allowance books , practically threw them at me started ranting and I could not understand a word he said. I phoned for help and an Indian Woman came down and took him to a room to sort out his problem. It turned out there were 7 such Woman in a upstairs room whose job was to translate, take immigrants who couldn't speak English to a Doctor, Dentist, Solicitor etc.......I was appallled.!!!!! For starters, no more immigrants unless they have a job to go to , compulsary English Lessons for Children and the Father or Mother so the NHS doesn't have to foot the bill . How did Britain lose control in this way???

Iris wrote:Maybe the Government should stop trying to cram 30 pupils into a class, half of whom can't speak English, and then everyone would at least get some quality time from the teacher. That is the only way to improve results.

Good point Iris. At one Coventry school i worked at the head told me there were 22 languages represented among the students.