Notice of Intention to impose a monetary penalty on Pearson
Ofqual intends to accept a settlement proposal from Pearson Education Limited in which Pearson agrees to pay a monetary penalty of £250,000.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Between 12 July and 6 October 2023, Pearson submitted 3 event notifications. Two of those related to Pearson’s failure to monitor, and act upon, conflicts of interest arising from the involvement of Senior Associates in both assessment content production and teaching. Specifically, there were 6 instances where Pearson failed to follow its own policies designed to ensure the confidentiality of live assessment materials, thereby creating a risk to the integrity of exams.
In the further event notification, Pearson reported a failure in its process to identify and record conflicts of interest. Specifically, 195 persons both worked for Pearson as examiners in summer 2023 and carried out tutoring in schools (under contract to Pearson) as part of the National Tutoring Programme.
In correspondence with Ofqual, Pearson has admitted that it failed to comply with its Conditions of Recognition as identified in this Notice of Intention.
On 25 October 2024, Pearson signed a settlement proposal by which it:
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a) agreed that it had breached its Conditions of Recognition as set out in this Notice,
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b) agreed to pay a monetary penalty in the sum of £250,000 in settlement of those breaches,
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c) agreed to pay Ofqual’s reasonable legal costs in relation to this matter.