Leeds teacher guilty of whispering exam prompts to pupils

A teacher has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct after providing improper assistance during a GCSE French speaking exam. Veronique Matchim, who was employed as an agency supply teacher at Abbey Grange Church of England Academy in West Park, Leeds, whispered prompts to students during the assessment in April 2024, according to a misconduct panel.

Matchim admitted to the allegations before the panel and acknowledged that her actions could damage the reputation of the teaching profession. Despite this, she was not banned from teaching outright. The panel determined that she did not enter the exam with a preconceived plan to cheat and showed some remorse and insight into her behavior. However, she is prohibited from participating in exams overseen by the AQA exam board until after 2026.

The panel was informed that Matchim’s duties during the exams included asking questions and engaging students in role-playing exercises. Recordings made during the assessments were reviewed by the AQA exam board, which identified four occasions on which Matchim whispered French words to assist pupils in answering her questions. Initially, during the school’s investigation, Matchim denied helping students but later confessed to whispering these prompts.

As a result, the Teacher Regulation Agency’s professional conduct panel barred her from involvement in AQA examinations until after 2026. Furthermore, any participation in exam-related activities by Matchim until after 2027 must be supervised. The TRA also stated that the public release of their findings should serve as a clear warning about the standards of behavior expected from educators

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