CCTV and fingerprinting could NOW be used in exam halls as schools launch crackdown on cribsheet cheats

Schools are considering introducing CCTV cameras and fingerprint checks to trap exam cheats.

Students scribbling vital facts on their shirtcuffs or hiding cribsheets in pencil cases would be easily identified under the crackdown planned by the Examination Officers Association.

It also hopes to cut the number of claims from pupils that they were given the wrong instructions by invigilators.

Scroll down for more ...

Security check: Fingerprinting scanners could be used to stop exam cheats

The association is negotiating with Classwatch, a firm which already provides cameras at 65 schools in England, to carry out the surveillance.

Andrew Harland, the chief executive of the officers' association, which represents 2,500 invigilators, said the CCTV surveillance would be carried out in a pilot project.

'In these situations, it is often the word of the invigilator against the word of the student or parent,' Mr Harland said.

'CCTV in the exam room would protect the student and protect the staff.'

The association said gymnasiums - where most exams are held - are often the last part of schools to be fitted with closed-circuit TV cameras.

The association also plans a trial of fingerprint scanners to identify pupils in the exam hall, stopping substitute candidates sitting tests on behalf of others.

Cases of exam cheating are rarely brought to public attention although one at York University ended up in court last year.

Jerome Drean, 34, a City banker, pleaded guilty to sitting economics exams on behalf of a 23-year-old friend Elnar Askerov. Both men received nine month suspended jail sentences.

The systems advertised by Classwatch are billed as 'a new concept in classroom management.'

According to promotional literature: 'The system is not intended to be an intrusive influence in the classroom, but rather to act as an "impartial witness".

'It can provide legal evidence and allow you to see both sides of the story if a dispute arises.'

Classwatch also claims its systems prevent 'rowdiness and truancy'.

Managing director Angus Drever said: 'Schools would be able to review recordings after the event to pick up on any inappropriate behaviour.

'Invigilators would have an extra check on what was going on, in addition to walking past students' desks.'

The move was welcomed by John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

He told the Times Educational Supplement: 'If a pupil knows CCTV cameras are around, it's like slowing down for a speed camera. It acts as a deterrent.'

Original here