Teachers ‘compromise integrity to preserve school rankings’

A report published today by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) at the start of their annual conference also claims that staff and pupils feel under tremendous pressure to get through tests and exams.

Over 70 per cent of the academic staff polled supply pupils with more practice tests and questions than in previous years, 68 per cent run after-school classes, and 63 per cent provide one-to-one tuition to get them through tests and exams, according to the teaching union.

On top of their usual teaching, nearly a third, 31 per cent, of teachers, lecturers, leaders and education staff said they help pupils prepare for tests and exams by attending meetings to find out exam themes, and over a quarter give pupils rewards and incentives.

One secondary school teacher at an academy who completed the survey said: “Unrealistic, computer generated targets are in many cases impossible to achieve. Staff are stressed but more importantly, pupils are close to breakdown with the demands being put upon them in out-of-school hours and the Easter holidays.”

ATL claim that to help their students get ahead in exams, over a quarter of respondents feel they need to attend exam board seminars.

Nearly two in five – 39 per cent – said that the overwhelming pressure they are under for their pupils to achieve good test and exam results could compromise their professionalism, and more than a third said it could compromise their integrity.

A primary school teacher in England said: “I have been forced to manipulate results so that levels of progress stay up, as our head fears [there will be] an Ofsted inspection should our results waiver. I work in an infant school.”

A one-to-one booster teacher at a secondary school in England stated: “The school I work at definitely pushes the boundaries of exam integrity. Maintaining their “gold-plated” status by far takes precedence over developing the abilities of the pupils. Controlled assessments and aspects of coursework are problem areas for cheating, with senior leadership driving the agenda.”

The survey also found that seventy-three per cent of education staff said that they felt under a lot of pressure when preparing pupils to get through tests and exams. Seventy-one per cent of those feel under more pressure now than they did two years ago, and the same level feel under more pressure now than they did five years ago.

Eighty-eight per cent of those who responded to the survey claim pressure to get pupils through tests and exams comes from their school’s leadership or management, who are themselves under enormous pressure to achieve good results for their schools and colleges. Sixty-six per cent said that pressure for success is down to school league tables while 51 per cent refer to Ofsted, and 50 per cent mention pressure from pupils’ parents.

Ninety per cent of those surveyed believe tests and exams are the major cause of pressure on pupils and young people and the same number said that the pressure of tests and exams causes increased anxiety in pupils. Eighty per cent feel that pupils fear failure and 63 per cent said that test and exam pressure leads to lower self-esteem.

ATL’s general secretary Mary Bousted said: “Children in the UK remain amongst the most tested in the world. This creates a huge pressure on young people, with many whose progress has been outstanding on a personal or emotional level feeling like failures following test and exam results.

“With the Government’s persistent focus on tests, exams results and league tables, many teachers and lecturers also feel under enormous pressure – often at the detriment to high quality teaching, learning and development of their pupils. Results now appear to be more important than learning, and this does nothing to help children progress.”