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Hyndburn school in GCSE exam 'cheating' probe

9:31am Thursday 18th June 2009 in


A GCSE exam board has launched an investigation into allegations of cheating in an East Lancashire high school.

The probe is looking at claims that as many as 70 pupils at Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School, Haworth Street, Oswaldtwistle, were given the answers before a maths exams.

But headteacher Paul Trickett said he had been left angry at the ‘false accusations’.

He said the school had not provided any answers but had staged an ‘masterclass’ for the students in the hour before the test.

After the allegations were made to Edexcel yesterday, Mr Trickett held an emergency meeting with the school’s exam officer and head of maths.

Mr Trickett said they had told him pupils were given tips on how to answer questions and last-minute revision.

But he said the teachers did not know the exam questions as the packets containing the papers were not opened until the start of the test.

Asked if an investigation had been launched into allegations that pupils had been given answers, an Edexcel spokesperson confirmed they had received a complaint.

He said: “Edexcel takes all allegations seriously and will investigate them accordingly.”

Mr Trickett said all pupils were given the chance to take part in the ‘masterclass’.

He said: “The deputy head and the head of maths have assured me that everything was above board.

“The exam board can swoop at anytime over the exam period to ensure procedures are followed.

“The exam papers are in plastics bags and were opened in front of students at the beginning of the exam before they were handed out.

“We never leave a subject teacher alone with students before the exam and we would never leave one member of staff with a small group of students.

“These accusations are false and I am very, very angry that an allegation of this nature has been made.

“We have a rigorous system and I am confident when this is over everything will be above board.

”We want our children to do well but we would not, and I stress would not, cheat to do it.”

John Girdley, national executive for teaching union NASUWT for Lancashire, said he had never heard of a school holding a revision session straight before an exam before.

He said: “Schools are under increasing pressure to due to league tables.

“But I cannot comment on this case but we do not condone cheating and we have no belief that cheating has taken place.”

Comments(12)

jen_08 says...
12:07pm Thu 18 Jun 09

I heard about this from an ex pupil of the school who says it's true! I suppose it is innocent until proven guilty, but if this has happened, I think it is disgusting - what right has a school to play around with important results?? Lots of people I know took their GCSE's this year and they all worked really hard to try to get the best results they could. How can a school be so irresponsible? I had to laugh at the Head's comments too - a 'masterclass' just before the exam? How did the children know about that if they were on study leave? Most that I know would only turn up just before the exam. Especially the C/D borders, who were the ones apparently involved...

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David09 says...
12:53pm Thu 18 Jun 09

Am i the only one who fails to see how the school is cheating here, schools hold revision classes before exams all the time, to refresh pupils memories, if anything the school should be commended on this practice and trying to improve pupils attainment, as for how the children would know, most pupils these days are given a revision timetable which has times on when sessions will be run for them to attend if they wish, and these are handed out to pupils way before they leave.

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rhyddings says...
3:17pm Thu 18 Jun 09

HEADTEACHER'S STATEMENT

Many parents will have seen the front page of the Lancashire Telegraph today and I trust will have been as shocked and angry as I was. To base a front page article on allegations made in a brief anonymous phone call is, in my opinion, an example of irresponsible ‘knee-jerk’ journalism.

Having contacted the examination board, the anonymous phone call did not relate to the terminal GCSE examination detailed in the Telegraph. Instead, the accusation relates to a module examination taken by Year 9 and Year 10 students. The exam was being taken by over 300 students, therefore the staging of it had to be staggered.

Year 10 took their examination at 9 o’clock and the examination board rules were followed, to make sure that those students had no contact with the Year 9 students (themselves contained by other staff) who took their examination at 9.45am when all Year 10 had left the examination hall. This is the method recommended by the examination boards.

I can assure parents that correct procedures are followed for all examinations and there is no possibility of any “cheating” to take place as claimed by the anonymous caller.
We have worked hard with our students to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes. We will continue to do this and, as ever, rely on your outstanding support.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Trickett
Headteacher
A copy of this statement can be found on our website at http://www.rhyddings
.lancsngfl.ac.uk/ind
ex.php?option=com_co
ntent&task=blogsecti
on&id=1&Itemid=2

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Ossyossyossy says...
3:29pm Thu 18 Jun 09

I went to Rhyddings and there certainly was no cheating going on, I would have loved it if there was though! Why make the hard working students suffer by giving the answers to those who haven't learnt what they need. I'm sure the teachers would feel it undermined their job as a whole in doing such a thing.

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sambam says...
4:11pm Thu 18 Jun 09

Whether these allergations are true or not. I have first hand experience of the sort of school Rhyddings is. In my previous role I attended many schools within the whole lancashire district in my previous professional role, and Rhyddings was by far the worse school i have ever attended. Some of the teachers i had the misfortune of meeting were in my opinion not fit to be teaching, (I observed some staff members at this school being downright offensive in every sense of the word, not just to students but to other teachers and visitors too. The whole set up of the school again in my opinion is 'outdated,' 'unstructured,'beyon
d disbilief' (these words I have used is putting things nicely)I also have children of friends who attend the school and the way this school 'brushes things under the carpet' and clearly not follwing protocol beggers belief. I hope that a through investigation is conducted at this school for this allergation. I do sincerely hope that it is not true that cheating has took place, but even if it is not the case i hope things do change at this school in a dramatic fashion.

P.S I also wanted to add that the majority of the students I met that attended this school were fantastic polite young individuals however as stated above some of the teaching staff i met were not.

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leemacneall09 says...
5:17pm Thu 18 Jun 09

How come this walways happens every year?

i attended rhyddings going back 5 years ago! and back then we did "master classes/revision night's" and to be honest i prefered these classes more then normal lessons, this is becuase it helps young people understand problems, and how to go about them. nothing of the sort of "cheating" went on.

this school is always in the headlines for negative reasons give it some good publicity for once!

people coming out with these statements should go into the school and see what its actually like for the life of students and teachers in that place, you'l see its a better school on the inside an that a lot more time and effort goes in to help all students.

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dfons says...
6:20pm Thu 18 Jun 09

I taught at Rhyddings for 4 years and I am disgusted at the accusations of cheating. Last minute revision sessions before the exam are normal practice and it happens in every school I have taught in. The Maths department at Rhyddings is one of the best faculties in the school and really cares for the students and everyone tries their best to make sure the pupils achieve high grades but always respecting the rules that as teachers we try to enforce. The allegations of cheating are simply ridiculous.

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Julieobson says...
7:06pm Thu 18 Jun 09

I am absolutly appauled at the down right malicous report in tonights telegraph.The spineless annonomous whimp who hasnt got the guts to put there name to the allegation wants to return to school for some lessons in loyalty .My daughter is a yr 11 pupil there and I have nothing but commendation for the support she has recieved for the last 5 years (not just the run up to the exams )annon get your facts right, booster classes have been happening for months, often in the teachers own time.The head and his staff should be commended for their enthusiasm and support and all the hard work they have put in. It infuriates me that Rhyddings alays gets the bad press when really it deserves admiration keep up the good work Rhyddings.

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Soggy Moggies says...
9:16pm Thu 18 Jun 09

When I was at school, many years ago, I remember my science teacher going through the whole of the CSE Biology paper before sitting the examination. Guess what? I achieved a grade 1! It happens, sorry.

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Rich Riley says...
9:49pm Thu 18 Jun 09

Soggy Moggies wrote:
When I was at school, many years ago, I remember my science teacher going through the whole of the CSE Biology paper before sitting the examination. Guess what? I achieved a grade 1! It happens, sorry.
It may well have happened in your day and at the school you attended but there is no evidence whatsoever that it has happened here.

This is another case of the Telegraph exaggerating a non story.

I dont think the headline "HYNDBURN SCHOOL HOLDS GCSE REVISION CLASSES" or "HYNDBURN SCHOOL CONDUCTS EXAMS IN THE RECOMMENDED WAY" has much of a ring to it but then lets not let the truth get in the way of a good story!

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Graham Hartley says...
10:12pm Thu 18 Jun 09

I have taught at Rhyddings and know Paul Trickett and some of the staff. Nothing in my experience directs me to doubt Paul's word. Though I remain critical of the school's handling of the 'butty shop business', the most mischief I'm prepared to make here is to point out a few anagrams: teach = cheat, teaching = cheating, teacher = cheater.

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EmmaD1992 says...
4:47pm Fri 19 Jun 09

I think as a rhyddings student leaving this year it absolutly disgraceful that these accusations have been made. At the end of the day the teachers have supported us for the last five years and are still supporting us when we have left. Whoever has done this is pathetic and i hope they are ashamed of themseleves

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