Penalties issued to school staff for exam malpractice up 48 per cent
The number of penalties issued to school and college staff for exam malpractice is up 48 per cent compared to last year, according to official figures from Ofqual.
The figures show that there were 388 penalties issued to staff in 2016, compared to 262 in 2015. This includes 185 cases of a written warning being issued to staff, as well as 113 cases of staff being suspended from involvement in exams or assessments.
Most penalties were issued as a result of school or college staff giving inappropriate assistance to candidates. This was true for 218 cases, representing 56 per cent of all penalties imposed - an increase of 33 per cent compared to summer 2015.
Despite the rise in penalties for staff malpractice, overall results were fairly similar to previous years, with 2,430 total penalties issued by exam boards - broadly the same as the 2,460 penalties issued in 2015.
Penalties for candidate malpractice remained extremely rare and represent just 0.011 per cent of the total number of unit entires, while 41 per cent fewer penalties were issued to schools and colleges.
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