4PM UPDATE

A FORMER colleague of a Newport headteacher at the centre of a test cheating scandal felt that there “was no way out” of the demands placed on her, a Teaching Council heard today.

Former Rogerstone Primary school head Sam Yeoman allegedly "manipulated" national reading and numeracy test to boost results in May 2013, a Teaching Council for Wales professional conduct committee was told.

Cath Loizos, who has worked at the school as a TLR phase leader since 2012, had not been teaching a class at the time and was asked to administer the tests.

In the run up to the tests, Mrs Loizos said that she was allowed to familiarise herself with the tests and that Ms Yeoman felt that “it would be a major disadvantage” if she did not do so.

She said that she was told by Ms Yeoman and the deputy head, Mr Mallard, that they needed the children to do well and there was no finishing time for the tests.

Mrs Loizos said she had had “grave concerns” about this and pupils being set the target of achieving 24 marks or more.

She said that at no point did she feel she could say no and that there was an “extreme amount” of pressure for the children to walk out with the necessary level four result.

Mrs Loizos claimed that pupils who did not achieve this mark were allowed to do the test again and an independent investigation was launched following a complaint by a parent regarding extra time in September 2013.

Mrs Loizos said that Ms Yeoman requested that a letter be written to the parent, stating that the decision to allow extra time was a “joint decision”, even though she claims to have not attended a meeting where it was decided to award pupils extra time.

She said that she felt she was “up against the wall” and that there was “no way out”. Mrs Loizos added that she “became accustomed to not challenging Miss Yeoman as "my life would have been made hell”.

Representing Miss Yeoman, her counsel, Gwylim Roberts-Harry, questioned whether Mrs Loizos, personally, believed what she was doing was wrong.

Mrs Loizos replied that she was “not proud, but felt she had no other choice…as this was someone who was basically a tyrant”.

Proceeding.

 

A LAWYER representing a headteacher at the centre of test cheating allegations defended his client today, claiming that she never told her teachers to cheat.

Former Rogerstone Primary school head Sam Yeoman allegedly "manipulated" national reading and numeracy test to boost results in May 2013, a Teaching Council for Wales professional conduct committee was told.

Gwylim Roberts-Harry quizzed Helen Hickinbottom, a former colleague of Ms Yeoman. Mrs Hickinbottom has been a teacher at the school since 2004 and served as one of the deputy head teachers under Ms Yeoman.

Mrs Hickinbottom said that pupils could take as long as they wanted with the tests, even though they were only supposed to have 30 minutes.

Defending his client, Mr Roberts-Harry claimed that Mrs Hickinbottom had an opportunity to look up the guidelines for the tests and was never explicitly told by Ms Yeoman to cheat.

Mrs Hickinbottom replied that Ms Yeoman was “cleverer than that” and that the “onus was put” on her personally if her children did not achieve.

Mrs Hickinbottom reiterated that Ms Yeoman was in full knowledge of the fact that she had been previously sat down in front of the test papers by the other deputy head, Mr Millard.

Mr Roberts-Harry reminded Mrs Hickinbottom that she claimed to have “pointed to gaps” of children’s tests in her statement, but Mrs Hickinbottom said that she only reminded them to answer every question and was not “in the position to question, even if she was brave”.

Mrs Hickinbottom added that there was "nothing standardised" about the tests and that she is still "very distrustful of a lot of people in authority".