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Parents' outrage over 'unfair advantage' exam tests

12:48pm Thursday 26th June 2008

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Furious parents have accused a Wimbledon prep school of giving its pupils an unfair advantage in important exams.

Fee paying Donhead school gave its year six children practice for Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT), used to determine the ability of all boys joining Wimbledon College in September.

"We can’t believe that a school would do this."

A mother from Sacred Heart school

Father Adrian Porter, headteacher at Wimbledon College in Edge Hill, is understood to be unhappy about the practice, which has taken place for at least two years, but has allowed the test results to stand.

One mother from Sacred Heart Primary School, who asked not to be named, said that the news had outraged parents from other schools whose sons had not been prepared for the test.

She said: "We can't believe that a school would do this. We feel the Donhead children should be retested - once you get into a set its very difficult to get moved up."

The advantage for Donhead boys was discovered during Saturday's exam, when parents from the prep school let slip that their sons had practised the exam in class the previous Tuesday and even brought practice papers home to work on with their parents.

Irene Pinner, the headteacher at Sacred Heart, said that the incident had upset parents and pupils.

"The children and parents feel there has not been a level playing field with the CAT test," she said.

She also confirmed that Wimbledon College had not said the test was available online to be practised beforehand, or that other children taking the test would have seen similar papers in advance.

CAT exams assess the ability of children to think using numbers, words and shapes.

Donhead headteacher Chris McGrath said the school used the tests to measure the progress of all its pupils, not just those heading to Wimbledon College, but denied coaching them.

"It's part of an assessment we use for all pupils. The boys take the test but receive no feedback," he said.

He also said that CAT tests could be bought by all schools and were widely used.

He declined to comment on the claim that Father Porter had asked Donhead, which is also based in Edge Hill, to end the practice.

Wimbledon College would not discuss the story.

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C, SW London says...
3:59pm Thu 26 Jun 08

Wimbledon College is a rubbish school.

Dont send your boys there.

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Robo, Mordor says...
11:17pm Thu 26 Jun 08

Wimblefail college;
Ahh what a "wonderful" school.
i thourally enjoyed all of my time spent there..




not!

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carly, london says...
8:41am Fri 27 Jun 08

What is the interest with sending kids to this school? Cos it sounds posh?
I dont think so, half the kids that do there are horrible, I know some of them that went there & I think they came out worse than when they went in.
My aunt got my little cousin in there, she wishes she didn't now!!!

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NOS, SW London says...
10:06am Fri 27 Jun 08

Is this really a newsworthy story? I can't quite understand what the issue is with one school offering its students a chance to attempt a Cognitive Ability Test and the fact that another school uses them for its entry requirements. The tests themselves are very straightforward and do not actually require the student to 'revise' a particular subject - it merely assesses their cognitive ability. An advantage would be to do an example test - but surely if the parents of children that do not get such an opportunity are so set on sending their children to a particular school what is stopping them going online at home and looking up an example test or two?

If the school is 'coaching' their students to do the tests then thats fine. I'm sure thats what schools are there to do - to increase the reasoning, intuition and general application of knowledge of their students. If a school fails to do that then the school in question should be reported for failing its students, not the other way around.

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A Catholic Merton Parent, says...
2:52pm Fri 27 Jun 08

It is not coaching the children that is a problem; everyone is entitled to have their children coached either at school, at home or by a tutor. The point here is that Donhead gave their pupils the same test that they knew the boys would be sitting at Wimbledon College. As if that was not enough, they also gave parents the access codes to the website which allowed the boys to practise the same test at home. This obviously gives the boys a very unfair advantage over children coming from any other school. In my opinion the parents at Donhead are not to blame and probably did not know that the boys had been given the same test. The only person at fault here is the Headmaster at Donhead who has cheated in able to increase the scores of the boys. I would have hoped that the Headteacher of any school would have enough faith in their teachers and their school to allow their pupils to sit an exam without allowing them to practice it beforehand.

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SW19, SW19 says...
8:28am Sat 28 Jun 08

A story based on envy if ever there was one. Why else complain about children studying hard to go to the school of their choice? Get your children studying the CAT tests too, rather than sniping. There's nothing stopping you.
Hasn't the Guardian got anything better to write about?

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Joan, Wimbledon says...
10:10am Sat 28 Jun 08

The parent writing only manages to highlight a fault with Sacred Heart School for failing the boys in their care. If you send a majority of your boys to a school that uses a CAT test then surely you should prepare them. These tests are available to any school who wishes to subscribe to them and there are also numerous free online tests. As a parent if your child is sitting any test surely you do your best to prepare them instead of moaning - you make yourself and the school your son goes to look stupid. Ask Wimbledon College if all the Donhead boys are at the bottom of their sets once they get in- that would show that the CAT test practise has put them in the wrong sets- I am sure this is not the case.

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sw19, Morden says...
5:29pm Sat 28 Jun 08

I personally think that this story is a false accusation. I have a son at Donhead, who is in Year six, and took that test. The circumstances were not as they seem, as the boys did not get their paper back. How can this be an unfair disadvantage when the donhead boys didnt even finf out their resultsor answers. I am from a middle class background, and just because my son goes to a fee paying school, doesnt mean we are posh snobs who will cheat our way to the top. I believe that the parents from Sacred Heart are just being sour grapes and should learn to stop snitching on other people and poking their noses into other peoples business and start to concerntrate on their own so children, instead of reporting to the Guardian with a story that isnt even true. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT FIRST BEFORE YOU GO CAUSING A BIG SCENE!!
i know what it feels like as my son used to go to a state school, but i have given up other things to send my child to Donhead. I understannd that people think that DOnhead is only for the posh snobs, who have money coming out of their ears, but that is ckearly not the case. I am very proud of Donhead and the headmaster there, as it is an excellent school with lovely boys. i know there would never be any cheating involved as they only want what is best for the boys.I am glad that my child got in to Wimbledon College and i think the other prents should be too? They should face the fatc that there has been no unfair advantages involved, and the donhead boys will not necessarily do better than any of the state school boys. This story has been blown out of proportion, and i would like to add that donhead is a great school, and this story has been a false accusation.

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Anna, Kingston says...
8:58pm Sat 28 Jun 08

It is unfortunate that Donhead have started to do these tests just as Wimbledon College started to use them to determine their sets. Perhaps this is why parents are questioning their motives. They are supposed to be unpractised and taken every few years to chart progress. It would be interesting to hear if Donhead use them in Year 4 too; if they don't I'm not sure how useful they would be in looking at progress. Perhaps Wimbledon college should send out details of the website so that boys can familiarise themselves with the test. Boys who have seen the paper before will probably do slightly better the second time round but only by a few points.I used to work for the team that devised these tests and don't have any axe to grind with either school.
I did make sure that my own children knew what the tests entailed for their school but despite having the exact test at home would not have considered showing it to them!

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hiding behind a hedge, behind a hedge says...
8:11am Sun 29 Jun 08

It was inevitable that this would evoke very strong feelings, even anger and vitriol. This story is not about envy, it is about cheating. There is a good point made here that no favours have been done to Donhead children placed in an artifically high set. Certainly a disservice has been done to children placed in a lower set than they merited. For the school to coach the children in the papers, give them a copy, release restricted access codes to their families, goes beyond "helping". As a result, all of Donhead's grades will be viewed with mistrust. Confidence in school entry and test scores is a fragile thing. The Local Authority has to find out who knew what about this, and must clean up. The school needs to look at ethics and morality. Everyone actively involved, or who knew and said nothing, to be a participant. This is an utter mess. This is what happens when "helping" becomes cheating. And if you don't think this is newsworthy, it is, and there may be a cat rescued from tree story on page 7.

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Ignotus, SW19 says...
12:56pm Sun 29 Jun 08

As Macauley once said so well, "We know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality."
Firstly, let's just calm down and ignore the wombats who are taking 'ad hominem' pops at schools where, as everywhere, the vast majority are trying - in the error-prone way that we all have - to do their best. Next, let's drop the use of the 'middle-class' tag; that is an epithet of lazy lefties and means nothing.
Probably, Donhead have been naive. However, the bitterness pouring out of people here needs addressing.
The CATs are designed to test potential. Their predictions are borne out by tests years later on. If anything, they will provide a fairer result to children who haven't had a leg-up through coaching etc. In any case, repetition of the test doesn't bring improvement in results.
If we want children to perform to their best, we must be committed to provoking and feeding their curiousity, lavishing time - and any disposable cash we might have - on anything that reinforces the discipline and sovereignty of knowledge. Sheer hard work = good results, regardless of set, school or social class. Donhead boys are able to fail, despite fees paid; comprehensive schoolboys can and do - whisper it quietly - rack up straight As.
Please, enough sniping. The only people who this will damage are children. Let's raise our game, straighten our perspectives and spend our motivation on the exacting task of motivating our children, without infecting them with the absurd partisanship manifest in conversations around this topic.

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Merton Parent, Raynes Parj says...
2:14pm Sun 29 Jun 08

From Catholic
Merton Parent "
The point here is that Donhead gave their pupils the same test that they knew the boys would be sitting at Wimbledon College."

The crux of this acusation is that Donhead 'knew' it was the same test the boys would be sitting rather than just a 'similar' CAT test. How do you claim to know what Donhead did or didn't know in this case?

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A Parent, Wimbledon says...
4:37pm Sun 29 Jun 08

This is trully ridiculous.. you people have no idea what your saying! Donhead had no idea what test the boys were going to be sitting and it is only Wimbledon Colleges fault for being stupid enough to get a test that ANYONE can get online!! everyone should be given help on what the test is going to be like so they can do the best to their ability, the other schools are stupid enough for not helping there children. the other schools clearly dont care about there children as much as Donhead do. How can you blame this on the headteacher.. does he teach them?? no! all you people are silly, just because your child goes to a school that doesnt prepare your child! jealousy isnt good im afraid! Donhead cares about each pupil. What does it matter anyway? being in a set overal does not mean a single thing! my child is in bottom set at another secondary school and shes still doing higher exam papers, being in a set doesnt matter anymore as long as the teacher can see your ability! not everyone can be in a top set as there is no space, it means nothing! Some people make me sick, they have taken this out of proportion and have even gone up to donhead pupils and called them 'dirty little cheaters' this is children as young as 5!!!! this is disgusting and a disgrace! All you people need to get your facts right first! Donhead is an outstanding school and not everyone who goes there is wealthy, it has nothign to do with wealth. If you want to false accuse then fine but its wimbledon colleges fault and the headmaster should be embaresed of his school.

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Parent, Wimbledon, says...
6:42pm Sun 29 Jun 08

Any Parent/School that was sending their child to the College, knew that they were going to do a test. These tests are free via the internet or can be purchased at anytime.
What is the to be said for the Parent or School that sends a child into a test unprepared.

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Anna, Kingston says...
7:54pm Sun 29 Jun 08

Actually these tests aren't available to anyone and are not on line. The sample tests are online. Donhead did know as there is a CAT test for each age group. The one that the college sits is Paper D and that is what Donhead did too. Most parents would not know how to access these samples and many would not have been able to even if they had known; not all families have computers.

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Moral Parent, SW20 says...
1:51pm Tue 1 Jul 08

A few facts -
Advantage = A beneficial factor or combination of factors. A relatively favourable position, superiority of means.

Test = A series of questions, problems or physical responses designed to determine knowledge, intelligence, or ability. A procedure for critical evaluation.

Cheat = To deprive by trickery.

Is a test really a test or fair when you know the type of test, format and answers? And do you have an advantage over those who are not privileged to this information?

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Apostles parent, Raynes Park says...
9:19pm Tue 1 Jul 08

Moral Parent

How did the Donhead boys know the answers as they were given no feedback from their own CAT tests - if you are going to 'quote' facts please make sure they are actually facts (Are you Dan Brown in disguise?)

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