Private schools ‘cull’ pupils for league table

ndependent schools are withdrawing weaker pupils from GCSE and A-level examinations to inflate their league table position, teachers’ leaders claim.
In an act known as “soft culling”, schools that charge thousands of pounds a term in fees stand accused of persuading children not to take exams if they are unlikely to get top grades.
Others are even entering their least-able pupils for exams as private candidates so that their results do not appear on the school’s own results.
Geoffrey Boult, the chairman of the Boarding Schools’ Association, said that head teachers could be put under heavy pressure from governors to withdraw less able candidates from exams.
“I’m sure it’s been happening for years. It would be easy to say, if pupil X is not very good at a subject, don’t put him in for it. The danger is that you stop pupils from even taking a subject in the first place,” he said. Mr Boult, who is headmaster of the £23,000-a-year Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire, added: “It has probably happened at my school, but very rarely. We might say to a pupil, concentrate on the subjects you are good at.”
Although the school would not withdraw a candidate purely because of league tables, teachers would be well aware that such a move would boost their league table position, he added.

As coisas que um tipo descobre ao ler jornais estrangeiros…
Por cá, que Zeus nos livre, estas coisas nunca acontecem.