Portsmouth PE Teacher Banned Over Altered Coursework
A former head of PE at Ark Charter Academy has been barred from teaching after a regulator found he edited pupils' work and sent work that was not theirs to an exam board.
A PE teacher who changed pupils' coursework has been banned from the profession, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has ruled. Thomas Barge led the PE department at Ark Charter Academy in Portsmouth from April 2022.
In May 2023, three of his colleagues told the school's head of centre they were worried about exam malpractice in the department. An investigation followed. The matter was first referred to the TRA on 25 August 2023, after a school disciplinary hearing in June of that year.
What the panel found
On 11 May 2023, coursework scores for the OCR Cambridge Nationals Sports Studies non-exam assessment went to the exam board, which asked for a moderation sample. Barge admitted that 10 pieces of work in that sample were not the work of the pupils named in the request. He also admitted editing work so that it met the grading criteria, and using some pupils' coursework to improve or complete the work of others.
The panel also found that he had altered grades on an internal tracker spreadsheet.
Barge did not attend the hearing in September. In written statements he said the course was well behind schedule at the time, some pupils' work had not been submitted or could not be accessed, and the moderation deadline was close. He said he was focused on solving those problems and on avoiding adverse consequences for the pupils. He called his actions "a series of increasingly poor decisions" and said he wanted the pupils to get the best outcomes.
The TRA report described his conduct as "ill-judged and dishonest actions taken to protect his own career". It said he had several chances to ask for help or act differently but went ahead anyway.
The panel found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. It said his actions "fundamentally undermined the public assessment process" and "had the potential to seriously damage the education and careers of the children in his care".
Barge is banned from teaching indefinitely. He must wait four years before he can apply to have the order set aside.
Source: BBC News