Teachers suspended in attendance row
Date published: 20 July 2009
TWO teachers have been suspended from Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport amid allegations that attendance figures were altered.
Deputy head teacher Margaret Southwood is believed to have been suspended in May following a meeting where concerns were raised.
She was followed by assistant head teacher Martin Turner, a former maths teacher who was nominated for a Pride on Oldham Award in 2005 for his work to promote community learning. He has also been involved with Oldham Carnival.
According to attendance league tables published in January, absence rates at the Bellfield Avenue school were 8.5 per cent. This was the third highest in Oldham and slightly above the borough average of 7.5 per cent and the national average of 7.4 per cent. Its persistent absence rate was also among the worst in Oldham at 9.2 per cent compared with 6.6 per cent both locally and nationally.
Hathershaw’s most recent Ofsted report in November, 2007, said that it provided a good standard of education, and praised the high expectations of staff in helping to raise pupils’ aspirations.
But the inspectors added: “For a small number of disaffected students, progress is less than expected. This is influenced by their low levels of attainment on entry, very low aspirations and poor attendance rates.”
The school, Oldham Council, Mrs Southwood and her union, the Association of School and College Leaders, declined to comment.
The Evening Chronicle has been unable to contact Mr Turner or the chairman of governors.
Hathershaw is hoping to become the first school in Oldham to form a charitable trust. This would include Broadfield, Holy Rosary and St Martin’s primary schools along with Oldham Sixth-Form College, NHS Oldham, Oldham Athletic Community Trust and John Moores University. It would continue to be funded by the local authority but gain powers similar to voluntary-aided schools, such as Blue Coat and Crompton House.
The West Oldham Co-operative Trust would appoint some of the governors, and the governing bodies would employ staff and set admission arrangements. However, pupils at the three primaries could be given priority for places at Hathershaw
