An assistant headteacher has been banned from his profession "indefinitely" after he admitted awarding pupils with false marks for coursework some of them hadn't even completed.
Colin Laughton was employed as the assistant headteacher of Hebburn Comprehensive School in South Tyneside and had been at the school for more than 23 years.
The 49-year-old faced a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) on September 9.
Read more: Go here for the very latest breaking news updates from across the North East
Mr Laughton was accused of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, in that whilst a teacher at Hebburn Comprehensive he awarded false marks for "internally assessed components" of pupils' coursework where there was "no evidence to justify the marks awarded."
The panel heard that, between May 1 2019 and July 8 the same year, Mr Laughton also submitted false marks for one or more pupils before the pupils had completed the work, and/or before he had seen the pupils' work.
Furthermore, he admitted substituting the work of one pupil for another during the same period so that one of them would receive a higher mark.
Mr Laughton was suspended from the school on September 6 2019 pending further investigations after exam board OCR wrote to the headteacher in respect of a suspected malpractice regarding examinations and assessments. His employment with the school "ceased" in January 2020.
Mr Laughton admitted all the allegations against him, and at one point stated: "There is no one else to blame but me." The panel were satisfied that his admissions proved the allegations against him.
Having found all the allegations proved, the panel went on to consider whether they amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession in dispute.
It was decided that Mr Laughton's conduct was in breach of the Teachers' Standards and that it fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.
The report into the findings reads: "In the panel’s view, recording inaccurate marks had risked damaging pupils in the long term as they would not be provided with an accurate reflection of their performance.
"The panel considered that these actions were disrespectful to pupils and were inconsistent with the need to treat pupils with dignity.
"In addition, Mr Laughton was an experienced teacher who had worked at the school for more than 23 years and who would have been well aware of the conduct expected of him. In the panel’s view, a fundamental part of being a teacher is to record marks accurately, and Mr Laughton had failed to do so on a number of occasions.
"Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that Mr Laughton was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
"The findings of misconduct were serious and the conduct displayed would be likely to have a negative impact on the individual’s status as a teacher, potentially damaging the public perception of the teaching profession as a whole."
As a result, it was concluded that Mr Laughton's conduct amounted to both unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
In a mitigation statement, Mr Laughton explained he had already suffered "huge consequences" as a result of his actions, and is the subject of a four-year prohibition from OCR which, even if he were teaching, would prevent him from being involved in exams and coursework.
However, the panel was of the view that "prohibition was both proportionate and appropriate."
The report read: "The panel decided that the public interest considerations outweighed the interests of Mr Laughton.
"Accordingly, the panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that a prohibition order should be imposed with immediate effect."
The panel recommended a lifetime prohibition order with a review period of two years, as "Mr Laughton provided an indication of insight and remorse and accepts responsibility for his actions."
It means Mr Laughton is prohibited from teaching indefinitely, and cannot teach in any educational establishment in England.
A spokesperson for Hebburn Comprehensive School said: “Following receipt of the letter from the OCR examinations board, asking the Head Teacher to investigate potential malpractice, the school took swift action and suspended Mr Laughton, so a full and thorough investigation could take place.
“The school followed its internal disciplinary procedures and liaised closely with the exam board to ensure that students were not unduly disadvantaged.
“Following the outcome of the investigation, Mr Laughton was dismissed from the school and referred to the Teaching Regulation Authority by OCR.
“The school upholds the highest standards and, in light of the seriousness of Mr Laughton’s actions, took rigorous and appropriate action.”
For the latest local news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
