Teacher who did pupils’ tests is struck off

A PERTH High School teacher who completed pupils’ assessments herself has been struck off.

Natasha Sturrock completed National 4 history assessments under pupils’ names while she was working at the secondary school as a history teacher.

She then handed the tests over to another colleague claiming they had been completed by pupils.

Her actions took place between August 2017 and June 2019, and were found to be “dishonest” by a fitness-to-teach panel convener.

Sturrock also claimed pupils had passed National 5 and Higher awards for leadership, but failed to provide sufficient evidence which showed pupils had met required standards. This was in the academic year of 2017-18 and the panel found these actions were “lacking in integrity”.

Sturrock admitted to the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) two allegations between, on or around August 1 2017 and on or around June 28 2019 while employed as a history teacher at Perth High School by Perth and Kinross Council, and during the course of her employment.

She admitted that in the academic year of 2017-2018 she failed to adequately provide evidence to demonstrate that pupils who she stated had passed their National 5 and Higher awards for leadership had in fact met the necessary standards.

She also admitted that she provided a colleague with National 4 history assessments, purporting to have been completed by pupils, when in fact she had completed them.

Sturrock made a request to have herself removed from the GTCS register of teachers in March, and a panel yesterday issued her with a “removal with consent order”.

This means she is banned from teaching with immediate effect and also prohibited from applying to be registered for teaching for at least two years. The GTCS panel said her “fitness to teach is impaired and she is unfit to teach”.