But the initiative has received a lukewarm response from principals, who say that the money used to develop the test could have been better spent. Illustration: Matt Golding The scenarios, which are printed on a set of cards that have been distributed to all state schools, are designed to help staff deal with "tricky situations". Should you use your work email to contact a tradesman whose daughter is on the school waiting list and whose services you require for your home renovation? No is the answer to that one – according to the department, even the minor act of sending an email with your school signature could compromise your integrity.

This includes what to do when someone vying for a job leaves a "fancy box of chocolates" on your desk. The answer isn't to eat them. "They look delicious but consider what the perception would be, even if you shared them around," the back of the card reads. "Staff could think the gift influences your decision and may doubt whether he got the job on merit, which is also unfair on him." The cards have been distributed to every state school in the wake of claims that senior department officials swindled at least $6 million from disadvantaged schools.

Earlier this week, Fairfax Media revealed that six people had been charged in relation to the alleged rort, including the department's former director of school resources, Nino Napoli. If teachers and principals are unsure of how to respond to the various scenarios on the cards they are asked to conduct seven quick tests including "the newspaper test". "If the story appeared in the paper, would I feel comfortable with the decision?," they are asked. But many say that the initiative is a waste of time and money and unfairly targets principals and teachers who have done nothing wrong. Hampton Park Secondary College principal David Finnerty received his cards in December and said that while he agrees with the sentiment behind them, they were " a bit of a white elephant".

"It's being treated as a bit of a joke and leaves a lot to be desired," he said. "The money could have been better spent by bringing in people to talk about the scenarios." An Education Department spokesman said that the cards were designed to strike up conversations to help school staff deal with "tricky situations" that they commonly encountered at work. "They are one of a number of resources available to staff in corporate offices and schools to help build a positive culture of integrity," he said. Australian Principals Federation president Julie Podbury said principals appreciated the department's efforts to stamp out corruption but many found the cards unhelpful, and were concerned about the extra work.