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Whistleblower lifts lid on OCR exam errors


By Pete Henshaw


An exams whistleblower who has been suspended by awarding body OCR says that thousands of last year’s GCSE and A level papers could have been marked incorrectly. David Leitch, a supervisor


with OCR, has been suspended pending investigation after he contacted schools directly to raise his concerns. Exams watchdog Ofqual has now written to the awarding body seeking “an urgent explanation” about the allegations. In an interview with Channel 4


News, aired on Sunday (May 20), Mr Leitch explained how he had gone back to check the marking of several OCR papers in August 2011 after spotting basic mistakes. A total of 50,000 scripts – between five and 10 per cent – were checked with 700 errors being uncovered, he claims. He said: “I believe there


would have been thousands. Not thousands of incorrect grades, but thousands of incorrect results issued. What I found with the incorrect results that I uncovered was that about 10 per cent of them were incorrect results that should


be a higher grade, 10 per cent were results that should have been a lower grade and 80 per cent were no grade change.” However, Mr Leitch says


that he was instructed to stop the checks by OCR and assured that the mistakes would be dealt with. He continued: “It transpired


that OCR wanted us to discontinue the checks which had led to these errors being uncovered. Increasingly as the year wore on, I became concerned that Ofqual was not going to force OCR to do these checks.” Mr Leitch said he felt that


Ofqual was “almost siding with OCR”. Last week, he decided to email 30 schools, telling them about the mistakes. He has consequently been suspended. Clara Kenyon, OCR


qualifications director, said that “unacceptable mistakes” had occurred in the transcribing and totalling of marks on some of its examination scripts last summer. She added: “Last summer,


following actions taken by warehouse staff, it was decided to halt initial work in order to fully assess the real scope of the problem properly. We also kept the regulator Ofqual informed of


our actions during this process. OCR assessment experts then carried out a formal and extensive investigation; checking the scripts of over 1,100 examiners. In only a few cases did this affect the overall grade – eight students’ AS grades, two A level grades and six GCSE grades improved as a result. “Our investigation also resulted in the termination of


Biometrics warning after Act makes permission mandatory


Schools will no longer be able to use pupils’ biometric data without parental or pupil consent. Biometric data can include


things such as finger or palm prints and iris scans. An increasing number of schools now take this information for things like cashless catering, building access, library book borrowing, and to record attendance. However, new measures


within the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 mean that schools must have written consent from a parent before taking biometrics from any person under 18. If parents or pupils do not


consent, schools will have to provide alternative means for accessing services. The Act states: “The relevant


authority must notify each parent of the child of its intention to process the child’s biometric information and that the parent may object at any time to the


processing of the information.” Permission is only required from one parent, although if one parent refuses then a school cannot take biometric data. A child can also raise objections and refuse to allow their data to be processed. The Act comes into force


in September 2013 and the Department for Education has launched a consultation on official guidance for schools on the issue. It is unclear whether schools


currently using biometrics will be required to go back to parents to obtain consent retrospectively – a DfE spokesperson said that this is something the consultation will look at. Elsewhere, the advice is expected to include frequently asked questions and optional templates for notifications and consent. Schools minister Nick Gibb


said: “I have heard from many angry parents after they have learned that their children’s personal data was being used by schools without their


knowledge. The new legislation gives the power back to parents, as it requires parental consent before the information can be collected. “In the age of the internet,


identity and the integrity of biometric data are of increasing importance.” Hayley Roberts, an education


lawyer at Browne Jacobson, added: “For many it is a welcome step forward, giving parents more rights in what happens to their children’s data. Schools will need to make clear how the data will be used to ease the process of obtaining the necessary parental consents.” The advice will also


remind schools of their duties for safeguarding biometric information under the Data Protection Act 1998. The consultation closes on


August 3 and the documents can be found at www.education.gov. uk/consultations


four examiners’ contracts and we instructed 78 others (out of 13,000) to improve their performance. “We were not told of the


existence of these additional scripts with mistakes on them until schools contacted us. This is of course a concern and we are processing them in the usual way and will make grade changes, if required, and inform schools.”


A statement from Ofqual said:


“Mr Leitch is now making two serious allegations about last summer’s exam series: that OCR did not properly do the checks that it claimed to have done and also that it misled the regulator. We need to establish as a matter of urgency whether these allegations are true. We have written to OCR seeking an urgent explanation.”


Ofsted maths report


GCSE and A level results are continuing to rise because of the “sustained efforts of teachers and students”, Ofsted has said. Inspectors have also reported a dramatic increase in take-up of A level and further mathematics. However, in a report published


this week, Ofsted has raised concerns that pupils in lower ability sets sometimes receive the weakest teaching in a school. Mathematics: Made to measure


said that pupils closer to external assessments received better teaching, while less experienced, temporary and non-specialist teachers were more likely to teach lower sets or younger pupils. The report said: “Learning and


progress were good or outstanding in nearly two thirds of lessons in key stage 4 higher sets, double the proportion observed in lower sets where around one in seven lessons was inadequate.” The study also criticised


secondary schools for the 37,000 high achieving primary pupils who go on to get “no better than a grade C”. Ofsted said it will now be placing a greater emphasis in inspections on how schools tackle


inconsistency in the quality of mathematics teaching, how well teaching fosters understanding, and pupils’ skills in solving problems. It will also be “challenging extensive use of early and repeated entry to GCSE exams”. Inspectors visited 160 primary


and 160 secondary schools and observed more than 1,670 lessons for the report. It emphasises that take-up at AS


and A level is up by 31 per cent between 2008 and last year, while achievement at GCSE has risen from 56 per cent of students getting an A* to C in 2008 to 64 per cent in 2011. A level maths attainment is also up with 67 per cent of entries in 2011 getting A* to B grades. Inspectors praised schools


that developed pupils’ conceptual understanding and problem- solving but raised concerns about a widespread use of early GCSE entry and repeated sitting of units which it said has “encouraged short-termism in teaching and learning”. The report recommends that schools should stop the reliance on resit examinations and have a greater emphasis on problem- solving across the curriculum.


Call for ‘fit and proper persons’ test for sponsors


A call has been made for academy sponsors to face a “fit and proper persons” test in light of recent criticisms over financial accountability. Earlier this month, the Public


Accounts Committee (PAC) said that improvements were needed to value-for-money checks, particularly in schools that have the most autonomy over budgets, such as academies. Now, Dr Mary Bousted, general


secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), has written to education minister Michael Gove calling for an


SecEd • May 24 2012


independent body to be established to vet academy sponsors. She said: “The PAC has quite


rightly raised significant concerns about academy heads receiving ‘very high salaries’ and trustees paying themselves five-figure expenses. “Currently anyone can become


an academy sponsor – they just have to get the approval of the secretary of state for education. But the Leveson Inquiry has shown the dangers of government departments getting too close to the businesses that they are supposed to oversee. Recently there have been


calls for ‘fit and proper person’ tests to be applied to ownership of newspapers and football clubs in the wake of financial improprieties – is running our schools any less important?” Dr Bousted pointed to the


recent case of the Priory Federation of Academies in Lincoln, where the CEO has resigned following alleged misuse of the academy credit card. She also contended that the


Education Funding Agency has neither the resources nor the expertise to keep a check on the soon to be 2,000 academies.


She added: “Without an


independent vetting body we fear there will be more financial scandals and more tax-payers’ money squandered instead of being spent on children’s education.” Last year, the Department for


Education (DfE) distributed more than £56 billion to schools, local authorities and other public bodies for education services in England. The PAC said: “We remain


very concerned at the weakness of the proposed arrangements to ensure accountability for value for money. We are alarmed by reports of worrying expenditure by some


schools – for example, very high salaries being paid to senior staff in academies or excessive expense payments for governors – which could be symptomatic of more system-wide concerns.” A DfE spokesman said:


“Academies have more rigorous financial systems in place than maintained schools, and have a statutory requirement to produce independently audited annual accounts. The Department and Education Funding Agency challenge academies if they believe funds are being spent inappropriately.”


NEWS In brief


Parenting classes Prime minister David Cameron has unveiled plans for services to help people meet their responsibilities as parents. They include a digital service for parents-to-be and new parents offering information and support. Meanwhile, a £5 million, two-year trial of free parenting classes for all parents of children aged five or under is to take place in Middlesbrough, Derbyshire and Camden in London. A pilot of a relationship support service is also to take place in four regions around the UK.


Skype resources


The free online video- conferencing network, Skype, has launched a raft of new content for its Skype in the Classroom programme, a free online education community. New partnerships include the Penguin Young Readers Group, which will offer the chance to Skype with authors, the New York Philharmonic, offering live interaction with musicians and educators, and Save the Children and the Science Museum, which will have individual projects in place by the end of the year. Visit: http://education.skype.com


Hong Kong trip


Do you have a lower 6th-former who would like to win a summer trip to Hong Kong? A competition is being organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London to take up to five UK 6th-formers to Hong Kong in the summer of 2012 to experience life in Hong Kong through joining a summer course at a university. Flights and accommodation will be included and further details will be announced shortly. Visit: www.hketolondon.gov.hk


Mentor chance


Twenty young people who have shown commitment and integrity in the face of challenging personal circumstances have been selected to take part in a mentoring scheme run by the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and AQA. The students, aged 14 to 19, will work with sports mentors to run a social action project in their local communities over the next six months. The young people taking part in the Unlocking Potential programme were all nominated by their teachers. Visit: www.dkhlegacytrust.org


Free ICT courses


Adobe has launched a series of free online courses designed to help UK students aged 14 to 19 develop skills for the workplace. Adobe Generation aims to give students access to creative leaders from industry. Each course has been developed by teachers and experts from across the world and will take place via Adobe Connect over the next 10 weeks. The first sessions took place earlier this month and are running weekly – from 7pm every Thursday – between now and July 12. Visit: www.adobegeneration.com


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