A SECONDARY school teacher who fiddled her students’ grades, including for work not even completed, has been banned from teaching.

Anne Vendy, head of Geography at Wheatley Park School, submitted marks for GCSE coursework that “bore no resemblance to the work itself” – including for one student’s work when none had been handed in.

The 35-year-old also copied a student’s work for another, and then accused the second pupil of cheating before blaming her for getting into trouble.

She was sacked from Wheatley Park School after submitting three missing 2012 marks in March 2013, sparking a school investigation.

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A National College for Teaching and Leadership professional conduct panel found Mrs Vendy also let students take home work which was meant to be completed under controlled conditions.

A report into the panel’s findings said: “Mrs Vendy’s behaviour involved sustained and repeated dishonesty.”

The office of Education Secretary Nicky Morgan banned Mrs Vendy from teaching, with the earliest appeal on December 1, 2017.

Mrs Vendy – who admitted nine allegations – joined the school in September 2004 and was made head of Geography in September 2010.

She admitted letting pupils take controlled assessment work home but indicated she “did not expressly” allow this.

She also admitted submitting controlled assessment marks for six pupils “which did not reflect the marks the work deserved”.

One pupil said she had the work at home when the grades were submitted meaning Mrs Vendy “could not feasibly have marked the work”.

An unidentified witness said the mark for another “bore no resemblance to the work itself” and deserved 15, not the 28 marks given.

The panel also heard how work presented from “student B” was identical to “student A”, who were not friends and gave statements they had not copied each other.

Mrs Vendy admitted accusing student B of cheating and said they were now “in a lot of trouble because [Vendy] had helped Student B”.

The report said: “The conduct of Mrs Vendy fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.”

It said Mrs Vendy – who was not represented at the hearing – showed unacceptable professional conduct and urged a ban with possible review.

The secretary of state’s office said of the ban: “Three years would allow time to develop and demonstrate insight and remorse for her actions.”

Headteacher Kate Curtis said: “The headteacher and governors scrutinised this case in great detail and we are pleased that as a result of vigilance in the school, the issues raised in the panel were addressed without any student’s GCSE results being affected.

The pupils’ work had to be remarked and resubmitted but did not affect their final grades.

 

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