Dear Parents and Carers of Exam students,
We are fully into exam season now, and the majority of students have complied with the routines and rules in place for Public Examinations. Unfortunately, we have been made aware of two separate incidents where students have accessed their phones during the exam times. When this happens, we are required to inform the exam board and this usually results in disqualification. This malpractice also compromises other students in the examination room, as well as the Centre’s Examination status.
Students have been emailed the codes of conduct required for examinations and students are reminded by staff and exam invigilators ahead of every exam that they are not permitted to access devices during their exam. We routinely collect phones, watches and earphones at the examination entrance for students that have forgotten to leave electronic devices with their belongings, and therefore non-compliance at this point is taken very seriously due to the widespread repercussions of any malpractice.
Many schools across the country routinely scan every student on entry to exams, and with immediate effect, we will be trailing the use of metal scanners at HDHS. These hand-held scanners are non-invasive and issue a simple beep in the presence of significant metal items (smaller items such as rings and earrings rarely result in a “beep”). We are not planning to scan every student but will be random sampling students at all exam locations in a bid to prevent any further incidents. It should certainly serve as a further reminder to students to check all pockets for devices, including earphones which could jeopardise their results and our status as a centre for examinations.
As a reminder to candidates, the JCQ policy states:
Candidates must not be in possession of the following items:
- iPods;
- mobile phones;
- MP3/4 players or similar devices;
- watches.
- airpods/headphones
This means that:
- ideally, all unauthorised items are left outside of the examination room;
- any pencil cases taken into the examination room must be see-through;
- any unauthorised items that have been taken into the examination room must be placed out of reach of the candidates (and not under their desks) before the examination starts. This will normally be at the front of the examination room or a similar arrangement that enables the invigilator to control access to the items.
Following the invigilator’s announcement any mobile phones or other unauthorised items in the candidates’ possession must be handed to the invigilator prior to the examination starting. This also includes watches.
If candidates have access to unauthorised items in the examination room this may be considered as malpractice. They could be subject to penalties in accordance with the JCQ publication Suspected Malpractice: Policies and Procedures.
If you have any questions or would like to see the scanners we will be using, please contact me directly.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs V. Henderson
Assistant Headteacher KS4 & 5
