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BBC
December 16, 2013
A college in east London has received large sums from the government by awarding qualifications to students who say they never took the courses.
Further education colleges are paid by the government for each student who actually completes a course.
But a BBC London investigation into Newham College has revealed evidence of anomalies over reported pass rates.
The college says it takes the allegations seriously and will look into the issue.
Newham College was already under the spotlight after a secret recording of lecturer Mark Walcott came to light, in which he made apparently homophobic statements.
Now numerous ex-lecturers there have contacted the BBC, alleging qualifications were awarded to students who did not actually attend courses.
One lecturer said: “When students didn’t turn up, we tried to have them withdrawn from the class.
“We approached management, but nothing happened.
“Then we noticed that students who had more or less no attendance were suddenly achieving [qualifications] on their programme.”
He described this as “impossible” by legitimate means.
When a student passes a Level Two or Level Three course (equivalent to either a GCSE or an A Level), a college is typically paid £3,000 from the government.
BBC London has obtained details of the attendance rates and academic achievements of 92 students at the college’s East Ham campus.
Of those 92 students:
• 50 achieved a pass (Grade A-C equivalent) with less than 40% attendance.
• 28 achieved a pass with less than 20% attendance.
• 17 achieved a pass with less than 10% attendance.
Newham College’s own guidelines state that an 85% attendance rate is the minimum expectation.
Educational statistics expert Professor John Howson said: “There is clearly a prima facie question here that needs answering.
“If a college has fairly low attendance rates it is difficult to see how the success rate for those courses is as high as it is.
“There’s almost certainly a minimum threshold you need to attend to pass.”
College records show two students achieved a Level Two pass with a 0% attendance rate.
The college – one of the biggest in the UK – says it will investigate the claims
Mr Howson said he had almost never seen 16 to 18 year olds pass such exams with attendances of under 10%. He called for an immediate external investigation.
