Forum Topic

Our Lady of Victories School

It seems that the school has been found cheating over its Sats. Really quite shocking. Rather tarnishes their reputation as their Sats have now been annulled .http://www.putneysw15.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conolv001.htm

Jane Carter ● 2802d20 Comments

I think OFSTED need to look into how to ensure the Sats are not so easily open to maladministration.  Online it says nearly 600 primaries are being investigated.  Is it really possible that a school can get 100% or thereabouts, year after year?  I think top performing primary schools need to have random checks by OFSTED and the local authorities.

Martine Guy ● 2802d

I agree. I have two contacts who worked in the school in the past who said that the children were very heavily 'coached' for the Sats.

Jane Carter ● 2802d

By random checks, I think an Ofsted inspector or person from the local education authority should turn up unannounced on the morning of the SATS and stay with the school the whole day.  Another suggestion is to have one invigilator from the school where the SATS are being taken and a second from another school.At the moment it would appear some schools “help” with answers during the SATS tests or fill in/change answers when the papers are gathered up.

Martine Guy ● 2802d

Your second suggestion is a good idea - local schools swapping invigilator staff. There woud not be enough Ofsted inspectors to go into every school on SATs days. What a pathetic response from the local councillor.Our Lady of Victories is in the Thamesfield ward and local ouncillor Mike Ryder said he did not know any full details about the issue, but he added that all of Thamesfield’s schools are first-rate and he is sure the school will overcome this.For 'overcome this' read 'stop cheating'I await Andy's furious response but I really think this 'maladministation is appalling.

Jane Carter ● 2802d

I think Ofsted have a lot to answer for in this.  There is huge pressure for schools to perform well for League Tables.  Ofsted have been naive and too trusting of schools.  How much is it costing taxpayers for nearly 600 primary schools to be investigated for maladministration, when they could have put proper procedures in place on the day the Sats take place.

Martine Guy ● 2802d

Oh no, this is terrible news!The poor children, who have been under enormous pressure, what happens to their exams?  Do they need to do them again?How absolutely awful!

Ivonne Holliday ● 2802d

There's nothing wrong with schools coaching pupils to better prepare them for SATs, or for any other exam. Parents often pay for private tutouring in subjects their children may be a bit weak in, and I don't see that as a problem either. Most parents want the best for their kids and who could blame them?However I certainly don't agree with schools 'helping' pupils by filling in or changing answers on SATs papers because that is downright cheating. Also it doesn't help the pupils because it wouldn't highlight any problems that could be addressed.  In my opinion all Ofsted inspections should be random, insomuch as schools should not be informed weeks in advance of the inspection date because this gives them plenty of time to cover things up. The amount of frenzied action, including painting and decorating, that went on during the weeks prior to an inspection needed to be seen to be believed!

Sue Hammond ● 2802d

my niece has to re-sit one of her mocks as the exam paper was one of the practice papers they had...oops!

Adam Tripp ● 2802d

The 2018 SATS?

Ivonne Holliday ● 2802d

Apologies for this.Jane, the 2018 SATS were annulled?

Ivonne Holliday ● 2802d

Sue, I agree.  What I was suggesting for random inspections was that they take place on the day of the Sats, an inspector just turning up and staying all day.  But IMO these type of checks should be for the schools that are getting 100% ,pretty much year after year.

Martine Guy ● 2802d

@Martine 11.06Yes that makes a lot of sense.

Sue Hammond ● 2802d

Yes - last year's SATS.There is a lot of difference between preparing/coaching children for an exam which is fine and actively cheating by reviewing and altering exam scripts. The headteacher has stepped down.I also agree with Martine that the league tables put too much pressure on schools which can lead to this type of cheating

Jane Carter ● 2802d

What a horrible mess and what a terrible example to set!I know schools and teachers are under a lot of pressure with these exams but I do feel for the children. The implications of annulled KS2 papers does not bear thinking about.

Ivonne Holliday ● 2802d

I wonder what this will mean for the school’s “Outstanding” status?

Martine Guy ● 2802d

There is no impact on individual children - their results stand and as SATS are really just for measuring the performance of the school rather than the child.It is also a bit unwise (possibly from a legal point of view) to publicly accuse someone of cheating. The reason for the cancellation of the results is 'maladministration'. From what I was told this was due to a difference of opinion on which results should be included in the overall score of the school rather than unfair assistance being given to individual children.

Peter Higgins ● 2802d

Peter, the Evening Standard headline on Friday, 8 March was:“Head Steps down after test results are scrapped over claims pupils were helped”.It goes on to say in the article “This investigation was prompted by an anonymous allegation to Ofsted of over-aiding and reviewing of completed papers.  The STA identified what they considered to be a number of areas of concern about the accuracy of pupil results”.Perhaps you should contact the Evening Standard about the accuracy of what they printed.

Martine Guy ● 2802d

Hello Peter,I do agree with you that, in theory, SATS are (should be?) a way of measuring performance of a school rather than the child.  I remember very clearly, albeit 14 years ago, that my son's SAT results were taken into consideration by the secondary school.Also, while I agree with you that the reason for the cancellation of the 2018 SAT results at Our Lady of the Victories Scholl were the result of "maladministration", does this not mean inefficient or dishonest administration; mismanagement?

Ivonne Holliday ● 2802d

Why don't they just abolish SATS. Parents and teachers hate them and frankly they are not a full indicator of a child's potential. I remember Eddie Izzard saying something about learning a musical instrument...he said let the child tell you the kind of music they like and pick the instrument to suit. I guess you would no longer get a gazillion kids learning the piano and violin and hating it and the parents wincing with every note ;-)Idealistic I know as I am the mother of a primary school teacher but maybe we need to look at children as a whole and not as a benchmark.

Maxine Campbell ● 2798d

Now that OLV have had their SATs results annulled on the grounds of maladministration, and the Gov.uk website is now showing the amended results, what happens next?  Does Ofsted send in its own invigilators for this year’s SATs?

Martine Guy ● 2797d