PE teacher banned after changing pupils' coursework

Summarised from BBC Hampshire's report · Updated 26 Oct, 06:56 · Archive

Thomas Barge, head of PE at a Portsmouth school, has been banned from teaching after changing students' exam coursework.

Thomas Barge, head of the PE department at Ark Charter Academy in Portsmouth from April 2022, has been banned from teaching after admitting he changed students' coursework. In May 2023, three of his colleagues raised concerns about exam malpractice in the department, triggering an investigation. The Teaching Regulation Agency found Barge used pupils' coursework to improve or complete other pupils' work and edited submissions to meet grading criteria.

When submitting coursework scores for OCR Cambridge Nationals Sports Studies in May 2023, Barge included ten pieces of work in the moderation sample that were not from the named pupils requested, as well as edited work to reach necessary grades. The TRA described his conduct as 'ill-judged and dishonest actions taken to protect his own career'. Barge acknowledged the matter was a 'series of increasingly poor decisions', citing course delays and imminent moderation deadlines as factors.

Read the report

• PE teacher banned after changing pupils' courseworkThe head of PE completed or improved students' coursework with work from others.BBC Hampshire · 26 Oct, 06:10

In this story: Thomas Barge · Ark Charter Academy · Portsmouth · Teaching Regulation Agency

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