The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Former Hebburn teacher banned
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. 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 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.
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 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.”
A spokesperson for Hebburn Comprehensive School said: “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.”