The headteacher of Eton college will appear before a House of Commons select committee next week to be questioned about exam malpractice at the school.
Simon Henderson, Eton’s head since 2015, will appear before the Commons education committee on Tuesday, following a report by the Guardian earlier this year that exam questions had been leaked.
Pupils taking economics at Eton this year had their exam marks for one paper rescinded after it was discovered that a teacher had given other teachers access to questions in the qualification known as Pre-U.
The Pre-U exam is an A-level equivalent qualification favoured by an elite group of independent schools in England, although a very small number of students at state schools also sit the exam.
It was later revealed that students at Eton and Winchester also had their marks annulled for an Pre-U art history paper after a leak of exam questions. No Eton teacher was involved in this case.
“The session is intended to examine the general issue of exam integrity and will be a chance for members to ask about the review of exam setting processes, which was launched by [the exam regulator] Ofqual in August,” the committee said in announcing the hearing.
“The review is examining the rules regarding teachers taking part in setting papers and the safeguards in place to prevent the disclosure of confidential information.
“There will also be the opportunity to question witnesses on reported incidents of malpractice in independent schools.”
Last year, Charterhouse school was the most enthusiastic adopter of Pre-U exams for its students, while others with high numbers of Pre-U entries include Westminster, Marlborough and Oundle independent schools.
The revelations put a spotlight on the structure of the Pre-U exams offered by Cambridge Assessments, a part of Cambridge University. The teachers involved – who have both left Eton and Winchester respectively – may have had access to the exam questions because they were also involved in setting the exams.
The events also revealed how little oversight Ofqual, the exams regulator in England, is able to apply to bespoke exams such the Pre-U, which was created in response to demand from private schools.
Michael O’Sullivan, the chief executive of Cambridge Assessment International Education, will appear alongside Henderson before MPs, as well as Barnaby Lenon, the chair of the Independent Schools Council and a former head of Harrow school.
The committee will later get to a chance to question Michelle Meadows, Ofqual’s executive director for strategy, risk and research, and Michael Turner, the director general of the Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents the major exam boards.
Prof Jo-Anne Baird, the director of Oxford University’s department of education, will also give evidence to the committee.
Robert Halfon, the MP who chairs the committee, described the exam controversy as worrying. “Questions need to be asked about whether this is more widespread and whether there is a conflict of interest over this practice,” he said.
