Sheffield College: Staff accused of exam fraud over English for Speakers of Other Languages course results
The Sheffield College has reportedly suspended staff over allegations of exam fraud over English for Speakers of Other Languages course results.
An investigation is underway into the school’s 2023-24 achievement rates in teaching English to non-native speakers, known as ESOL.
The Sheffield College is reportedly the largest ESOL provider outside of London, and records over 7,500 leavers for the course each year.
Now, the college has reportedly suspended a number of staff while it investigates the allegations.
The Star approached the college to confirm the number of staff members suspended and on what grounds, as well as asking if there had been any previous investigations over the matter and how the findings of this probe will be published.
It was also asked to confirm if awarding body City & Guilds had revoked the College’s ‘direct claims status,’ which allows it to assess and record its own ESOL exam results.
The college declined to comment and directed The Star to a public statement, which reads: “We can confirm that an initial internal investigation into one of our academy areas has taken place.
“This was in response to concerns raised about some achievement claims and associated certification for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students in 2023/24.
“We take any allegations of this kind very seriously. As investigations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further until those have concluded.”
The issue is also being probed by The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which funds the college’s ESOL courses through the adult skills fund.
Instead, a spokesperson said: “We are aware of the situation and are in contact with Sheffield College. We are undertaking our own investigation, and the College is undertaking its own internal investigation, therefore we are unable to comment further while they are ongoing.”
News outlet FE Week claims the college had the highest ESOL achievement rates in the country in 2022-23, at 96.5 per cent, and ranked third in 2023-24 with 94.4 per cent.
The outlet also claims the College’s ESOL provision receives over £10m a year in funding from the SYMCA’s adult skills fund.
SYMCA refused to confirm the total.
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