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Original poster

Eton caught cheating on Pre-U

232 replies

BossWitch · 26/08/2017 08:22

Saw this on bbc's papers round up but can only find a full story link in the Fail, sorry.

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4824050/amp/Eton-deputy-head-quits-amid-claims-helped-pupils-cheat.html

Basically, a deputy head who was a senior examiner and involved in setting the exam leaked the exam materials to staff and students for one of the economics papers for the Cambridge Pre-U so all those marks have been disregarded. Deputy head has now left the school.

I'm quite shocked. What on earth was he thinking? And how much pressure must he have been under to ensure results that he thought this was a good idea?

Any Eton parents about on mumsnet today? What are your thoughts?

OP posts:
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cowgirlsareforever · 26/08/2017 08:23

I'm not at Eton parent Grin but I think this is appalling and very damaging to the school's reputation.

Original poster
BossWitch · 26/08/2017 08:34

I was wondering about that, cowgirls. Is their reputation really going to be damaged? My initial thought was that it would be but now I'm thinking that the Eton 'brand' is so strong it's essentially immune. That's why I was really interested to hear from Eton parents / prospective parents - I'm definitely not one of those, sadly!

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LadyWithLapdog · 26/08/2017 08:39

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/education/2017/aug/25/eton-teacher-leaves-school-after-breach-of-exam-security

It was top news last evening on the Guardian website.

Nasty business.

AuntieStella · 26/08/2017 08:40

What is your interest in this?

Are you a prospective Eton parent?

The measure of a school when it has a crisis - and some schools have had quite serious criminals on the staff with offences other than exam fraud - is how it deals with it.

And of course good and timely communication, to affected pupils (not made public) and to the school body as a whole (now public), is an important part of it. Do you have concerns that what they have stated isn't the real position?

LadyWithLapdog · 26/08/2017 08:44

Im not the OP. I don't have "concerns". I just rolled my eyes and went "who'd have thought it".

acornsandnuts · 26/08/2017 08:49

Caught this time but I wonder how often in the past similar things have been done.

Original poster
BossWitch · 26/08/2017 08:54

Just passing interest I suppose. Not a prospective parent, as I said earlier. I've taught in private schools (including a prep that fed into Eton) but it's rather a world removed for me in terms of personal experience.

I think my interest in it breaks down as follows:

  1. That it indicates a pressure to ensure results placed upon teaching staff that I am surprised exists in this type of school. Given the intensive academic selection of the pupils and the further advantages then be stored upon them over their years at the school, for their teacher to feel that they wouldn't get the results without this cheating is, to my mind, strange. That suggests to me that there may have been significant pressure from above (so head / governing structures) to get results that perhaps the students were not actually capable of on their own. This is a pressure I've encountered in state schools but not in the private schools I have taught in, so it surprises me.
  1. Following on from the above - Eton still churns out a disproportionate number of young men who go on to become the political elite of this country. One of the reasons I have felt this is accepted as normal is that the reputation of Eton as a bastion of the standards of English respectability and gentlemanly behaviour lends an old Etonian a certain 'aura' of positive old fashioned values. How does this stack up against a school which cheated in it's most important exams?
  1. Strength of branding. This is a big deal - but will it actually make a dent in the brand or has the name 'Eton' so permeated both national and international consciousness that this will actually have no effect at all?

So not any personal involvement- just curiosity!

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twelly · 26/08/2017 08:56

The concern is that this behaviour does not create a level playing field for other pupils on other schools. State schools tend to have more and more regulations which decreases the likelihood of the happening. This combined with subjective marking - obviously applies only to some subject means that results comparisons have to be viewed carefully.

silkpyjamasallday · 26/08/2017 09:49

I'm not surprised in the slightest, both mine and my brothers private schools, and DPs grammar school cheated in numerous exams, having oral exam answers written on the board, staff ignoring people using phones, staff ignoring people talking in exams, allowing pupils to take in material to help or not checking dictionaries for answers written in them the list goes on. I think it is far far more common than people think and goes on a lot, especially in private schools where it is very results driven. My school removed many pupils from specific gcse courses if it looked like they wouldn't get a B grade or higher, and resorted to cheating at the last minute to ensure better grades. Our invigilators were always the same and always turned a blind eye to any goings on that broke the rules. I think it is much easier for private schools to cheat, and there is more pressure so it happens with alarming frequency. Not all the boys at Eton are especially bright, I've known a few who definitely fit the 'Tim nice but dim' stereotype, but they are expected to be and the results need to tally with that.

Eton2017 · 26/08/2017 10:20

Eton parent. Horrified. Glad to see the teacher has gone.

FrenchRoast · 26/08/2017 10:30

Not all the boys at Eton are especially bright, I've known a few who definitely fit the 'Tim nice but dim' stereotype Have come across the nice but dim Eton boy at University - he was well known for his Eton connection and his lack of brains.

LoyaltyAndLobster · 26/08/2017 10:39

DS is at Eaton Square, it's disappointing.

peteneras · 26/08/2017 10:40

Old Eton parent here.

And very proud of it too, I might add.

Eton’s reputation to be damaged by this scandal, I hear you ask?

Not a chance in hell. Instead, it’s gonna be strengthened two-fold.

When I first heard this news of a teacher cheating at Eton, my immediate thought was who might this teacher be. Upon finding out his name, hmm. . . I said to myself, “Never heard of him!”

And no wonder, this idiot had just joined Eton in 2015 from somewhere else. In any case, as far as I know, Eton boys had always taken their Economics paper at GCE ‘A-Level’ even until last year (2016) and their results were always stunning. Just think of the number of Old Etonians that had gone on to Oxford to do their Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) degree and you’ll see what I mean.

Economics was never taken with the CIE Pre-U at Eton until it seems this year when this rogue new teacher thought he could bring his bag of tricks to Eton to “improve” the School’s Economics results, which by the way don’t need any improvement at all.

His tricks may work at some other places but at Eton there’s no place for cheats and idiots. The Head Master was at pains to emphasise and re-emphasise that NONE of the Eton boys is at any fault whatsoever.

So, in less than two years before the cheating teacher could pull his rabbit out from his top hat . . . he's gone!

Forever!

Floreat Etona!

FrenchRoast · 26/08/2017 11:00

And no wonder, this idiot had just joined Eton in 2015 from somewhere else.

Gasp! Somewhere......else? Can it really be so! Grin Grin

cowgirlsareforever · 26/08/2017 11:09

I'm not sure the rest of the population who don't send their dc to Eton would share that view peteneras. It strikes me as male, economically privileged pupils being pushed to cheat in their exams at the expense of everybody else.

LadyWithLapdog · 26/08/2017 11:11

An investment banker! Thank heavens none of the Eton bits would ever go on to take such a job. Nothing less than government for them.

Original poster
BossWitch · 26/08/2017 11:11

From Oundle wasn't it? Hardly the local sub standard comp down the road!

Interesting perspective peteneras, it backs up what I was thinking about the unassailable brand!

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GinIsIn · 26/08/2017 11:13

peteneras not entirely sure you help their case, I'm afraid! Grin

I don't think it's anything to have concerns about - the school has dealt with it extremely well. The teacher in question wasn't a long-established member of staff so previous results wouldn't be affected, and the matter has been handled.

FrenchRoast · 26/08/2017 11:22

Eton’s reputation to be damaged by this scandal, I hear you ask?

Not a chance in hell. Instead, it’s gonna be strengthened two-fold.

If this is the case maybe they should have a few more scandals - seems it works wonders for the reputation! Grin

Viviennemary · 26/08/2017 11:23

Well there's a surprise. All's fair in love and elite schools.

2GandTplease · 26/08/2017 15:46

To me the teacher has been caught cheating not the school and as he's been fired from his job it seems the school have dealt with it pretty well and quickly. I feel sorry for the boys caught up in this.

cricketballs · 26/08/2017 15:47

It's not just the teacher - the exam officer is also to blame as they should have not let anyone have access

Tabymoomoo · 26/08/2017 17:27

From what I understand it's got nothing to do with the schools exams officer, it was just the teacher. He was the principal examiner for Cambridge (examining board outside of the school) and therefore has access to exam materials before the exam which he then leaked to other teachers in the department.

I must say I find this amazing as any teacher involved in setting external exams knows the consequences of leaking ANY info about the exam. I wonder what the back story of this is (will probably never find out).

I doubt the school will be affected long term as they've got rid of the teacher who had only been there 2 years.

Ta1kinPeece · 26/08/2017 17:31

I suspect Eton have just been caught out doing what any school with the resources would do :
Hire the examiner as a teacher.

I think CIU have a few questions to ask :
where they aware that their head Economic examiner was teaching kids for his own exam?
If so, they are utterly corrupt.
If not, they are utterly incompetent.

And if I was the head of one of the other major schools that use the Pre U I'd be very pissed off at the inherently preferential treatment that Eton boys were getting
and preparing to "adjust" the teaching schedules of certain other masters who might make similar headlines.

I do wonder what the ethical rules for examiners working as teachers are in general.