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Original poster

Teacher Accused my Son of Teaching:(

79 replies

Clarita12345 · 24/01/2015 23:10

A Teacher Accused my son of Cheating...should I complain to the head...?

My son's tutor made him practise past papers exams including the one from 2014. Unlucky..:(.. He sat the same paper for his mocks early January. My son got an A*, but instead of being rewarded & encouraged to keep working hard, he was told off.
I went to see his physics teacher (my colleague!! as I work part time in the same school...), to clarify what he had said to my son... Well, not only he was so defensive in his argument but he told me on my face that me & my son cheated and when I asked him whether my son saw either the paper or the answers in the school, he replied No but my son's tutor is being dishonest when she made my son practise past papers.
I tried to explain to him that none of us knew that the same paper my son practiced would be used for his mocks, he kept repeating that he cheated and that the mark he got was not valid.
Back to the office, I felt so bad, I felt that he didn't handle the situation in a professional way.
Should I complain to the head.!!!

OP posts:
hellsbells99 · 25/01/2015 18:49

You only have to look on student room (and most pupils/students do) to look at the questions and answers from last years exams! Doing past papers is the best way to revise and it is not cheating.

BoneyBackJefferson · 25/01/2015 19:00

GettingFiggyWithIt

With respect if you haven't taught in England in the last few years you won't know just how interesting (my wording) this could make life for the teacher.

BoneyBackJefferson · 25/01/2015 19:05

hellsbells99

But we aren't talking about past papers as such, we are talking about last years paper which is locked in a protected area of the exam providers website.

It isn't accessible to the pupils.

noblegiraffe · 25/01/2015 19:08

I'm sure an alarm would go off somewhere if I tried to enter an A* mock grade, then a lower predicted and target grade onto SIMs.

If this kid is coasting, he won't get the kick up the backside he needs from a crappy mock grade. He really needs to sit a proper mock that he hasn't sat before and that is going to be a time-consuming administrative nightmare.

BoneyBackJefferson · 25/01/2015 19:52

noblegiraffe
"I'm sure an alarm would go off somewhere if I tried to enter an A* mock grade, then a lower predicted and target grade onto SIMs."

Even more so if it dropped back down to a C in the final exam.

TheFallenMadonna · 25/01/2015 20:28

There are all sorts of places to find the questions from last year really. Last year, an A level assessed practical,and I think a GCSE controlled assessment were affected by information about them being made available before marks were submitted.

The OP's son did not cheat. But his mock grade is not valid. And the tutor should have know better.

Quitethewoodsman · 25/01/2015 21:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pieceofpurplesky · 25/01/2015 22:45

I Have 32 year 11s in my class. After the mock I have done an analysis of all the questions in all four exams (English lit and lang). I have a great spread sheet that tells me which pupil needs what help in which question. It is through this that I target specific needs and am pretty good at working with kids and achieving targets and above. As a teacher I would be annoyed that the pupil had done the paper. As a tutor I wouldn't use papers from the last two years knowing that these are the ones schools will use, I create my own resources based on these exams.

GettingFiggyWithIt · 25/01/2015 23:19

Boney
No offence taken...I am out the loop as my post clearly admits to. But the boy did not cheat. The teacher will need to either give him a different paper or after liaison with exams officer/hod/ht readjust the grade and put a lower grade as the mock as well as the estimate if he is realistically not in line for an A star (not been gone so long I didn't have to use Sims for everything).
But please tell me how 'interesting' life would be, am genuinely interested. Sometimes hang out on tes forum, like to keep up with developments.

I have had the alarms go off when I entered a D grade for an A grade student. But he was not working, hated my subject and regretted taking it, wouldn't put the work in, refused to come to lunch coaching, after school revision and the holiday y11 days I was putting on nor would he redo coursework and his parents were not at all bothered.
He got a D in his mock. He got a D in the real thing. Sometimes you cannot make the horse drink. Doesn't stop you trying. There was no postmortem for me, I had other positive residuals to redress the balance. Would have loved that kid to have had a tutor. It wouldn't have done any harm. Had he got an A star by having seen the mock paper and it was obviously skewed then as I have said he would have had to retake an equivalent unseen exam or I would have agreed on a grade with exams officer and explained to Mum why. I would not have started foaming at the mouth and calling him a Cheat for actually doing some work (and credit where credit's due I would have been thrilled he had recalled so much). Unless the ht thought I had given him access to the mock exam I do not see why it would evoke such fury.

Original poster
Clarita12345 · 26/01/2015 07:29

Mums net,

Thank you all for your input and support.
This reply is for all and in particular to whoever suggested that I should be apologising to the teacher!!!
I think you ought to say that the teacher owes and apology to both my son and myself.
I may not have given every single detail of the way he dealt with the issue from the way he went looking for my son in the canteen and the way he pointed at him asking him whether he had seen the paper before when my son was honest in his reply. He then went and told the whole department and as a such many other teachers from different department know....
When my son told me at home that he was told he had cheated, I took the initiative to e-mail his teacher asking him to meet to clarify his accusations. Not only the teacher ignored my e-mail, but when I e-mailed him asking for a reply, he e-mailed me back saying that if the matter was that pressing for me, I could have looked for him in his office.
It was break time when I received his reply, so I went looking for him in the staff room. As soon as I approached him, he was reluctant to talk to me pointing to the time or we had another at least 12 mins into the break.
He then came to me by the staff room door and started talking to me in front of other school staff and teachers who were in & out of the staff room.
I begun by saying that I didn't want to disturb him by just popping to his office....I then asked him about the issue when he told me on my face that my son cheated ( while other teachers were in & out of the staff room...).
When he explained to me that the mark my son got doesn't weigh his level and where he needs to improve, I told him that I agree with him totally, but that doesn't mean that my son has cheated...none of us (his tutor, myself or my son) didn't know that the same paper he practised was the one to be used for his mocks), he kept repeating that my son cheated.
When I told him that he could have called me to inform me rather than talk to my son in a way that would drop his confidence and made him feel bad, he replied that he didn't need to and that he could speak to my son who's an adult....!
My issue, is the way the teacher dealt with the whole situation. I think the small details I have added are self explanatory.
And by the way, his tutor has practised with him almost all past years papers plus his school lessons.
My son got an A in Biology & B (top in his class) in Chemistry.
Thank you all.

OP posts:
pieceofpurplesky · 26/01/2015 07:47

So you didn't want to listen to anyone's response then?

claraschu · 26/01/2015 07:59

Of course he hasn't cheated. Maybe the tutor was misguided, but I believe all the people who say that kids can get ahold of past papers through the Student Room and other such websites.

The teacher should have taken your son aside, congratulated him on his excellent preparation, and figured out a way to cope with this unusual situation.

TooHasty · 26/01/2015 09:25

Exam papers are usually posted on TSR within hours of the end of the exam by some one who has snuck a question paper out i suppose.

AtiaoftheJulii · 26/01/2015 09:43

Maths A level papers (the only ones I've looked at) seem to be posted 24 hours later on TSR by teachers.

As a tutor I wouldn't have used last year's paper, so your tutor is definitely being at best naive, at worst a bit crap. And I wouldn't have done "almost all past years' papers" by this stage in the year.

Hopefully you can see by this thread why the teacher is frustrated at having to set another mock for your son. But I'd be very angry about the repeated accusations as well - hope you can get an apology for that.

camaleon · 26/01/2015 09:46

Agree with clarschu.. Academic dishonesty is something very serious you don't accuse someone of lightly. Write down what has happened (or copy and paste from your own posts) and make an appointment with the headteacher. Speak with ofsted too if you think this could be of any use.

It is a serious accusation and the teacher has to understand this. I would also want to have an answer on whether or not this is included in any formal record. So perhaps you can request the school files about your son.

I have no opinion on whether or not this is something the tutor should have done. I have a very strong opinion on how unacceptable is to throw accusations around about people who are in a much more vulnerable position than yourself. The teacher has a duty of care towards your son. If he believes he has 'cheated' he has to go through some formal process before opening his mouth anywhere about it.

honeysucklejasmine · 26/01/2015 09:52

The tutor should have known better but the teacher is completely out of order, and should apologise. Immediately.

Haggisfish · 26/01/2015 09:54

I agree that the teacher sounds a bullish tool who has handled the situation very poorly. I wouldn't involve ofsted, but would speak to head of dept and ask for a meeting with them and teacher. Your son clearly hadn't cheated, but tutor is out of order using such recent papers that are secure.

camaleon · 26/01/2015 10:00

The tutor behavior does not compensate for the teacher's in any case. This is not a mum at school gates chatting about your son and whether or not she considers this is cheating.
Specific procedures regarding academic misconduct exist in any educational institution.
Take the tutor's own behavior outside the conversation. REquest an explanation for the basis of the accusation; whether they have rules for academic misconduct and whether they have been followed. Request your son's files and make sure this rubbish is not there. You will making a favor to other children.

overthemill · 26/01/2015 15:50

If the pupil has been taught during to tiring sessions and set past papers as 'homework' then that is 'teaching'. My kids school expect that pupils will download past papers and practice! You need practice at answering the questions after being taught the subject at school or however. I do past papers sometimes under 'exam conditions' to help them stick to times as well. And as a teacher (when I was) that is what I did in class as well. The papers are written and available for practice. The OP hasn't said that the tutor went through the paper telling pupil the answers fgs!

GettingFiggyWithIt · 26/01/2015 16:59

Hi again OP

I do not know what job you do at the school but from your second account of what happened the teacher seemingly has little respect for you nor sees you as an equal. How high up is he that he has his own office? I don't know how you feel about confronting again but I really do think it needs to go higher. Either his dept head or if he is the dept head then faculty/senior teacher attached to that dept. Or a deputy. Or the head. Who do you know on the staff you could confide in? How does your son feel about this? Do you get on with the exams officer at your school?

My complaint would be:

  1. The initial approach and subsquent conversation both being in public and easily overheard.
  2. The dismissive response to my parental concerns and refusal to put things in writing.
  3. The slander regarding my child's performance and consequent lack of confidentiality.

Either put this non emotively in an email to the teacher copied to his immediate next level up and the exams officer or have a quiet word with a senior teacher about how upset you are and what you would like to happen next.
BrewCake

BoneyBackJefferson · 26/01/2015 18:51

GettingFiggyWithIt

By interesting I mean that if he puts this mark in a projected of a "C" (just an example of a lower grade) he will have to justify this and have all his tracking gone through in detail.

It could also mean that his work/teaching could be put under scrutiny as in extra observations, lesson plans, justification of any systems put in place by the teacher (catch ups, extra work, revision sessions etc.)

All because of one dodgy grade on a mock.

skylark2 · 26/01/2015 19:56

Was your son told in advance not to practice on last years' paper? If so, yes, it's cheating.

My kids (two different schools) both knew that their mocks would be the previous summer's paper and that they should not look at it.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 26/01/2015 20:03

Perhaps if this happens again, Clarita, your son needs to say at the time that he has already done the paper in front if him as a practice past paper. That would have prevented what has happened this time - though it would have created a whole new set of problems for the teacher.

Lweji · 26/01/2015 20:31

No but my son's tutor is being dishonest when she made my son practise past papers.

WTAF?

It's not the tutor's fault or your son's fault that the teacher is a lazy bastard and used a past exam as mock exams.

Complain to the head.

BTW, I gave my students past tests for them to practice.

Lweji · 26/01/2015 20:35

My kids (two different schools) both knew that their mocks would be the previous summer's paper and that they should not look at it.

Seriously, are these teachers deluded?

it would be better to pick questions from several past exams and make a new exam as mock.

BTW, at Uni we used to have a set of questions from which the teacher would pick a number to use in tests. The grades were not necessarily better.