One in four British parents admits "bribing" their children to pass GCSE exams, research published yesterday revealed.
A survey of just over 1000 parents reveals that 24 per cent offer them gifts if they do well in their exams - such as a paid trip to the cinemaor a bike - while 23 per cent offer cash. Nearly one in five also admits badgering their child's teacher about what questions to expect in the exams.
The research, carried out for the education foundation Edge, reveals that parents of boys are more worried about their child's performance than those of girls - 78 per cent as opposed to 72 per cent.
Nearly half admit to being more nervous than their sons or daughters about the results and one in 10 has sleepless nights in the run-up to results day. Four out of 10 fear that their offspring do not enjoy their schooling.
Andy Powell, chief executive of Edge, which promotes vocational education, said: "While it's only natural for parents to worry about their children and to want them to do well at their exams, they need to remember that academic education is just one of many paths to success."
Margaret Morrissey, spokeswoman for the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, urged parents to be "cautious" in what they offered their children.
"It is better to put some money aside every year and offer them a payment towards getting a car when they finish university."
