By Martin Walker
The headteacher at Vane Road School has been suspended pending the result of an internal inquiry, Aycliffe Today has been told.
Durham Council has issued a statement, saying they’re working with the school to make sure “robust leadership arrangements are in place for the autumn term”.
On a completely separate matter, Durham Council has also confirmed the school’s latest SATs results are currently under investigation.
Caroline O’Neill, head of education at Durham County Council, said: “I can confirm the headteacher has been suspended pending the result of an internal enquiry.
“It’s important to state that suspension is a neutral state and not an implication of guilt and that this enquiry does not involve any criminal investigation.
“The council is working with the school to make sure robust leadership arrangements are in place for the autumn term.
“In an entirely separate investigation the Standards and Testing Agency is looking into the school’s key stage 2 SATs results.
“An outcome is expected within the next two weeks.
“Detailed teacher assessments have ensured that year six pupils moving into secondary school have been allocated the correct achievement levels.”
Several parents have been contacting Aycliffe Today with their concerns.
One of them, a mother who asked not to be named, said: “Several of us have contacted Vane Road, County Hall and the comprehensive schools to see if they can shed any light on the situation but as usual they are closing ranks ad we cannot find out a thing.
“It’s not fair to our children who worked hard to do the tests and will now probably not get any results as they won’t know which ones are true results.”
6 Comments
claudia heathcote
September 5, 2012 at 3:56 pmI used to go to that school its discusting what he has done !!
Red Riding Hood
September 5, 2012 at 9:40 pmAnd what is so ‘disgusting’ that he has allegedly done or not done? Not teaching the pupils to spell correctly for one! lol
Alison Kay
September 5, 2012 at 8:53 pmShouldn’t we wait to find out more details and the results of the investigation before we make such statements about what “he has done”? I thought this was a case of innocent until proven guilty?
lee daniel
September 7, 2012 at 8:55 pmSensationalised reporting! Lacking evidence and suggesting that one person is responsible. Heads are top of the pile anything that happens under their rule is ultimately their responsibility. Wait for the results of internal enquiries before you pillory someone. Leave this type of headline to the tabloids and promote positive Aycliffe community issues here please. Or at least issues that will promote responsible debate. Just a matter of time before the sheep follow post one me thinks… Good luck with that one!
Martin Walker
September 9, 2012 at 11:45 amLee – thanks for your input. However, the report is based on a statement provided by Durham County Council.
There are lots of rumours doing the rounds, unfounded rumours, which we won’t report because they do indeed lack evidence.
We contacted the local authority, acting on emails received from concerned parents, and received the statement included in our article above. We’ve only reported facts.
There are more positive articles than negative on Aycliffe Today and we try to promote positive initiatives and good causes on the town – but we also have a duty to report other news as well, and unfortunately that sometimes includes negative stories.
We shouldn’t be afraid to report the news. We live in a world of free speech. Let’s hope there’s a positive outcome to this, which we’d be only too happy to report.
tania
September 10, 2012 at 7:37 amAgreed. Any news site that only reported on positive stories would lose credibility in my view.