Headteacher dismissed from Croydon primary school ‘for altering her pupils’ answers in maths exam’

A headteacher was fired after allegedly altering her pupils’ answers to a mental arithmetic test, it is today revealed.

Parents claim they were given no explanation when Della Williams, 55, left South Norwood Primary in May 2015.

But a misconduct panel has ruled “on the balance of probabilities” she altered the answers, or was complicit in doing so, because she kept the key to where exam papers were stored.

Ms Williams, of Bromley, is now facing a ban and did not attend the hearing. The panel concluded “her actions constitute conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute”.

She refused to comment.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership panel last week heard that the alarm was raised after an external examiner had concerns about “the amount of pencil erasing” on the Year 6 Sats papers.

An investigation by the Standards and Testing Agency found evidence that 22 out of 45 papers had been tampered with and 47 answers changed, leading to the year group’s results being annulled.

It meant the children were “adversely impacted” by not having a test result for maths going into secondary school.

After the test, the papers were locked in a cupboard in an ante-room attached to Ms Williams’s office by the deputy head, who had to request the key.

In a subsequent interview Ms Williams, who had been head since 2006, admitted only she had access to the cupboard because she kept the key, the hearing was told.

She alleged the deputy head could have changed the papers.

But the panel ruled: “Upon considering all of the evidence before it, the panel considers that on the balance of probabilities, either Ms Williams amended the papers or she did so in collusion with Witness A [the deputy headteacher].”

It added that it was “unlikely” the deputy could have altered the papers without the headteacher knowing because she did not have a key and would likely have been found out in the time it would take.

The ruling stated: “Ms Williams would have had much more time and opportunity to amend the papers than Witness A.”

The deputy head has strongly denied altering the papers. The panel also found Ms Williams failed to investigate the matter properly.

The school, now The South Norwood Academy, was rated “good” by Ofsted in a 2012 inspection.

An open letter by parents at the time of Ms Williams’s departure stated: “Many parents and children... are sad and angered that they did not have the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to a wonderful headteacher whose commitment, experience and compassion have made their school what it is today, a place where we work together to succeed.”