Page 6 | AIBU to despair about DofE cheating

WhatTheHeckIsIt · 2023-05-03T14:47:52+00:00

Someone I know very well is the teacher who leads the Duke of Edinburgh at a school. Their teen is going to Buckingham Palace to receive their gold award. There is no way on this planet the teen has completed any of the activities - it's a stitch up. It's made me feel really sad. a) I expected more of this person b) I expected more of their child c) how could you let your child accept an award amongst people who have worked really hard to achieve it d) it devalues everyone else's award e) it's just shit Rant over - but there's nothing I can do is there?

Original poster

WhatTheHeckIsIt · 03/05/2023 20:22

KitKatLove · 03/05/2023 20:00

You’ve nothing other than a belief that they haven’t completed the requirements. What have you got against this young person? Even if they didn’t do it properly why would you want karma to bite them in the arse? Did you not do anything stupid when you were young because you thought you could get away with it? I give it a couple of hours before you think you will be identified and ask for the post to be taken down.

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Karma directed at me - read the post correctly.

Karma refers to if I did a negative action, I’d carry the consequence. I then called myself a sticky beak which refers to knowing too much info.

At no point throughout the posts have I called the teen stupid - I’ve said I’m saddened by the dishonesty.

Did I do stupid things when I was a teen? Of course, lots. Did I do dishonest things when I was a teen? Yes, a few - but way down the scale of dishonesty.

OP posts:

LlamasUnited · 03/05/2023 20:23

Seriously, chill. You have absolutely no idea what their kid has been up to. Maybe there are clubs at lunch time. Maybe they did volunteering online. My daughter did her skill with an online cooking course. No way would I have bored my friends with this tedious chat. At my son’s school they included ‘using wifit’ as a sport (admittedly it was during lockdown). Don’t be the person who asks ‘probing questions’ to try to catch them out or shops them or anything of that ilk. To do so would make you a dick tbh. Remember this is a teenager who is probably just about to start A level exams. Don’t cause needless stress to them.

pinksheetss · 03/05/2023 20:26

You'd have a fair point if you had any kind of evidence... but you don't other than assuming (which we all know what assuming does).
Sorry it does come across you are a bit jealous. You can mask it with disappointment all you like but ultimately you feel jealous this kid is getting this attention.

TheaBrandt · 03/05/2023 20:27

What happened to the investigation into the “teacher assessed grades” scandal where the grades the teachers gave for pupils non doing exams due to covid at many private schools and a few states magically went stratospheric?!

2bazookas · 03/05/2023 20:28

Which section of the required Gold Award activities do you claim were skipped?

And how would any third party know?

Queenie24 · 03/05/2023 20:29

Thekirit · 03/05/2023 20:19

errrrrrrrrr
They took transport and did not complete the course

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Is that the only thing?

jgw1 · 03/05/2023 20:32

Thekirit · 03/05/2023 20:19

errrrrrrrrr
They took transport and did not complete the course

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Of itself the evidence presented may or may not be enough to decide that they had not passed, it would rather depend on the situation. Did they choose to take the transport or did their supervisor tell them to? For what reason? Had they already completed the required number of hours of planned activity by that time on that that day? How did they get on, on the other days?

Original poster

WhatTheHeckIsIt · 03/05/2023 20:32

pinksheetss · 03/05/2023 20:26

You'd have a fair point if you had any kind of evidence... but you don't other than assuming (which we all know what assuming does).
Sorry it does come across you are a bit jealous. You can mask it with disappointment all you like but ultimately you feel jealous this kid is getting this attention.

😂😂😂😂

What planet are you on? How can you leap from reading about dishonesty to me being jealous about the teen having attention? Please 😂.

OP posts:

jgw1 · 03/05/2023 20:34

TheaBrandt · 03/05/2023 20:27

What happened to the investigation into the “teacher assessed grades” scandal where the grades the teachers gave for pupils non doing exams due to covid at many private schools and a few states magically went stratospheric?!

Anyone who read the rules for the awarding of TAGs would know that they said that the students were to recieve the best grade there was evidence for. Typically a student who gets a B grade will also have done work at A, some at A standard and equally some at C and D standard. That student should according to the rules the government set have been awarded an A.

Goodoccasionallypoor · 03/05/2023 20:35

Florenz · 03/05/2023 16:49

I'd report to the police. They are guilty of fraud. Report to everyone you can, DofE themselves, the school, the press etc. People cheating just devalues the achievement of those who actually complete the activities.

Are you being serious? I can't tell.

Holihobbies · 03/05/2023 20:35

Thought this was going to be a thread about Philips philandering 🤦🏼‍♀️

Original poster

WhatTheHeckIsIt · 03/05/2023 20:38

LlamasUnited · 03/05/2023 20:23

Seriously, chill. You have absolutely no idea what their kid has been up to. Maybe there are clubs at lunch time. Maybe they did volunteering online. My daughter did her skill with an online cooking course. No way would I have bored my friends with this tedious chat. At my son’s school they included ‘using wifit’ as a sport (admittedly it was during lockdown). Don’t be the person who asks ‘probing questions’ to try to catch them out or shops them or anything of that ilk. To do so would make you a dick tbh. Remember this is a teenager who is probably just about to start A level exams. Don’t cause needless stress to them.

I’m not being a person asking probing questions though am I? I’ve expressed disappointment on an anonymous forum.

Don’t be that person who minimises dishonesty, or anything of that ilk. To do so would make you a dick tbh. Remember this is a teenager who has started adult life. Don’t lower your expectations of them being able to achieve great things without cheating.

OP posts:

ohyouknowwhatshername · 03/05/2023 20:39

Holihobbies · 03/05/2023 20:35

Thought this was going to be a thread about Philips philandering 🤦🏼‍♀️

Same!

WombatChocolate · 03/05/2023 20:41

In order to get the award, an account has to be set up online and the candidate has to enter all their activities and names and contact details of each assessor, and have it approved by the centre Co-ordinaries, before the 3/6/12/18 months time slot can begin.

You need multiple different assessors for the different elements.

When completed, the candidate has to add some evidence and possibly photos. An assessor report has to be uploaded by the assessor.

The centre Co-ordination has to sign it all off.

For Gold there are the 4 sections plus the Residential.

It is unlikely that people fabricate all 5 activities, and 5 assessors.

What is more likely is that individuals don’t do their activity every single week and that some assessors write a report or sign-off based on limited evidence.

The online system itself won’t allow any section to be signed off before the appropriate time period has fully passed, and before the assessor report is present and it has to be signed off finally by the centre assessor.

To fabricate the whole thing requires a centre assessor and 5 other people and the candidate to be invovled. It’s pretty unlikely.

2bazookas · 03/05/2023 20:42

WhatTheHeckIsIt · 03/05/2023 15:50

Because I know the family very well.

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But do you know anything at all about the required activities for DOE Gold-award ?

pinksheetss · 03/05/2023 20:42

Oh for goodness sake your replies OP 😂
Get a grip, it's not about dishonesty though is it.

Don't come on AIBU if you don't want 'honesty' since you seem so caught up on it

Fact is you don't have a bloody clue whether this kid has done it or not so best stick to your own business

jgw1 · 03/05/2023 20:44

WombatChocolate · 03/05/2023 20:41

In order to get the award, an account has to be set up online and the candidate has to enter all their activities and names and contact details of each assessor, and have it approved by the centre Co-ordinaries, before the 3/6/12/18 months time slot can begin.

You need multiple different assessors for the different elements.

When completed, the candidate has to add some evidence and possibly photos. An assessor report has to be uploaded by the assessor.

The centre Co-ordination has to sign it all off.

For Gold there are the 4 sections plus the Residential.

It is unlikely that people fabricate all 5 activities, and 5 assessors.

What is more likely is that individuals don’t do their activity every single week and that some assessors write a report or sign-off based on limited evidence.

The online system itself won’t allow any section to be signed off before the appropriate time period has fully passed, and before the assessor report is present and it has to be signed off finally by the centre assessor.

To fabricate the whole thing requires a centre assessor and 5 other people and the candidate to be invovled. It’s pretty unlikely.

Additionally once the centre coordinator/DofE Manager/Group Leader has signed off each section they are then verified by a separate person.
For Gold Award the awards are then additionally verified by DofE HQ, who do sometimes get in touch with the assessors of individual sections.

Badgeringabout · 03/05/2023 20:45

OP. You are an adult casting aspersions about a teenager's honesty on anonymous internet forum.

Go outside and tale a breath - it's a beautiful evening.

Badgeringabout · 03/05/2023 20:45

take

lljkk · 03/05/2023 20:59

a) I expected more of this person
b) I expected more of their child
Rant over - but there's nothing I can do is there?

You could TELL THEN how SAD you are etc. Rather than rant here. You could shame them on social media. You could tell mutual acquaintances. You could do something other than moan moan moan.

d) it devalues everyone else's award

No, it doesn't. It just devalues themselves. Their failing does not undermine my young person's hard work.

masterblaster · 03/05/2023 21:02

RampantIvy · 03/05/2023 17:54

That’s not actually true. I’m a university admissions tutor at a very prestigious university, and I actually very much like DoE.

Most universities don't care. If you interview someone claiming to have done D of E I expect you could trip them up and find out that they were being economical with the truth.

Most universities aren’t allocating 100 places amongst 1000 applicants, the top few of whom all have near perfect grades.

potatohead1 · 03/05/2023 21:04

AnObserverInThisDarkWorld · 03/05/2023 15:56

Doesn't DofE get sent off to verify?
Which means he would have to have something written down and signed off to show for it

"I know them" isn't a reason. Do you watch them 24/7 to know he didn't have time to volunteer etc?

Good is pretty full on. If you know a family very well, it would be hard not to see evidence of things being done. The expedition and residential are always being talked about as they require so much planning and volunteering is fine for 12 months. I can easily see how someone who knows the people well could be lying.
It's very easy to lie. You just get people you know to sign stuff off for you and if the parent is they Escher-coordinator then they could easily bluff the residential and expedition. But OP surely the other dc at the school know who was and who wasn't on the expedition and residential.

Thekirit · 03/05/2023 21:10

jgw1 · 03/05/2023 20:32

Of itself the evidence presented may or may not be enough to decide that they had not passed, it would rather depend on the situation. Did they choose to take the transport or did their supervisor tell them to? For what reason? Had they already completed the required number of hours of planned activity by that time on that that day? How did they get on, on the other days?

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Ooo.
knew you’d be back.
They were told they’d failed at the end of the expedition in front of the whole group of which two of my children formed part of
They were given that in writing. Deputy head and mum ( who also went to school herself with the head) kicked up a stink.
They didn’t re do the expedition even though they were told they would have to
Then they all suddenly passed.

I know the d of e instructor personally and I know he was p….. off.

AnObserverInThisDarkWorld · 03/05/2023 21:12

potatohead1 · 03/05/2023 21:04

Good is pretty full on. If you know a family very well, it would be hard not to see evidence of things being done. The expedition and residential are always being talked about as they require so much planning and volunteering is fine for 12 months. I can easily see how someone who knows the people well could be lying.
It's very easy to lie. You just get people you know to sign stuff off for you and if the parent is they Escher-coordinator then they could easily bluff the residential and expedition. But OP surely the other dc at the school know who was and who wasn't on the expedition and residential.

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My best friend who I see and talk to several times a week and who lives pretty close is getting her award in a couple of weeks

I knew she'd started Gold, I knew she'd done a practice expedition and had things going on for skill, fitness and volunteering ... I didn't know she had carried on, gone on the rest of the expeditions etc until she told me she'd completed the award. She didn't talk about the expeditions all the time and the residential could well have been something I was with her for but didn't know. The skill, fitness and volunteering were all things she was already doing and I think only the fitness she had actually mentioned doing for DofE during the time. This can easily be the case if you have already got things going on that fit (and as OP refuses to expand on HOW they know its not possible we can't know more)

Booklover40 · 03/05/2023 21:17

Isn't the main purpose of D of E award to go on your UCAS and that is all being stopped this year/next year anyway?