Parents with ‘Pointy Elbows’ Are Emailing Teachers in Hopes of Boosting Exam Grades

Parents with 'Pointy Elbows' Are Emailing Teachers in Hopes of Boosting Exam Grades

Parents with 'Pointy Elbows' Are Emailing Teachers in Hopes of Boosting Exam Grades Credit: Pixabay

PARENTS with ‘pointy elbows’ are emailing teachers in the hopes of boosting exam grades for their children.

Head teachers have issued a warning about parents that are emailing teachers in the hopes of getting a higher grade for their children in their GCSEs and A-levels. Richard Sheriff, president of the ASCL heads’ union has even warned that there are parents with “pointy elbows and lawyer friends.”

This has raised a further issue as it is feared that in affluent areas parents will try to affect the grades by swaying teachers. Sheriff explained that it “really worries me” that pressure from parents could increase the social divide seen in exam results.

Geoff Barton, the heads’ union’s general secretary, has said that “we have to protect individual teachers,” after he gave an example of a pupil’s parents that had approached a teacher by email. The parents were worried over their daughter’s ambition to become a doctor, and had emailed the student’s teacher.

This year will see teachers submit grades for pupils as England, Wales and Northern Ireland have cancelled the GCSE and A-level exams that were due to take place in the summer. The teachers will base the grades they submit on various evidence such as assessments set by exam boards and coursework and essays.

The exam boards will still issue the results though and will be carrying out spot checks on how teachers have decided on which grade to submit.


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Alex
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Alex Glenn

Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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