Search Page

Few people enter the teaching profession for the money. Teachers repeatedly describe it as "a vocation", widely recognized as a euphemism for poorly paid. But for a few enterprising teachers, the education system is rife with opportunities for personal financial gain. A report on corruption in education, published this week by UNESCO highlights ways in which heads, teachers and education officials can extort and embezzle school funds.

The Boarding Schools Association (BSA) chairman Melvyn Roffe has declared that thousands of vulnerable children are being denied the chance to go to a boarding school because of ignorance and prejudice in local councils. He has also stated that there are hundreds of children whose life would be transformed by having a place in one of those schools, but because of bureaucratic procedures they are condemned to an ever diminishing circle of failure.

A new system of performance-related pay in schools risks fuelling a rise in fraud as teachers attempt to falsify pupils' results to win salary rises. Teachers could be tempted to "over-egg" children's work to prove they are doing a good job and the proposals could also lead to major employment disputes within schools if teachers who fail to receive higher pay lodge official discrimination claims.

Teachers have complained about "cheating watches" being sold online to give students an unfair advantage in exams. These digital watches include an "emergency button" to quickly switch from hidden text to a clock face. The watches hold data or written information which can be read in exams. Watches are advertised on Amazon with the claim that they are "specifically designed for cheating on exams". But a deputy head from Bath has warned about the scale of this "hidden market" and says it could tempt stressed students into cheating.

A leaked report has revealed “extreme” government concern after an academy trust was found to have paid its chief executive more than £82,000 for 15 weeks’ work. The investigation, which took place over June and July this year, also found that Wakefield City Academy were unable to produce the list of students receiving pupil premium payments (additional funding to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in schools).

Government officials are waging a twitter battle with parents who tweet questions from national tests being taken by primary pupils in England. The Department for Education wants any information on the content of Sats papers removed as pupils take the tests at various times over two weeks. Officials have been messaging parents since Monday asking them to remove tweets revealing question details. The DfE said it wanted to clamp down on cheating.

Across the country, academies have been plagued by allegations of financial impropriety, conflicts of interest and even corruption. Unlike schools under local authority control, academies are responsible for their own financial management. Although this means that developing good corporate relations is essential, many have ended up without a proper framework for transparency and accountability. A 2014 report for parliament claimed that “conflicts of interest are common”, adding: “There is a broader sense that the academy system lacks transparency.”

The police are carrying out a fraud investigation into a languages teacher who claimed extra cash from parents for school trips. The teacher who planned three residential trips for the 2017 summer term asked parents at a school in Huntingdon for additional "behaviour deposits" and charged pupils 20 euros each just to board the coach. The Teacher Regulation Agency professional concluded the teacher's conduct "fell short of the expected standards of the profession" and "the offence of fraud is relevant".