De Beauvoir Primary School has come under fire from parents after important exams were annulled because of poor management.
The school is under investigation by the Department of Education for “maladministration” of the Key Stage 2 exams sat by 10-11 year olds. A group of Year 6 pupils had their mental maths tests annulled, with the results not counting towards their final grade. The exams help to determine the destination of pupils and their positioning within ability bands at their new secondary schools. The incident is also being investigated by Hackney Learning Trust, the Council education department.
Valerie Bowes, whose son will take the exams next year, said: “There are always problems at the school – I’ve been dealing with them for years. I wouldn’t recommend sending your kid here but you don’t have a choice.”
The school has recently experienced numerous changes in administration with three senior members of staff resigning simultaneously in 2013. Ms Bowes said: “There has been supply teacher after supply teacher. It just sets your child up with a bad start in life.”
Another parent, Samantha, blamed the upheavals for the school’s problems. “It’s very disorganised,” she said, “They put things in place one year and by the next they’re gone.”
Head teacher Edmund Coogan, who started the job only two months ago, said: “We will be taking appropriate action and will investigate. We will do everything we can to ensure this does not happen again.” He refused to make a connection with staff upheavals. “It is not right to comment on things that happened before my arrival,” he said.
Maria Hudson has a six-year-old daughter at the school. She said: “Having problems with exams undermines [the children’s] confidence in their own ability. The teachers shouldn’t be in charge if they’re getting stuff wrong.”
Hackney Learning Trust would only acknowledge the incident, saying it would be “inappropriate to comment” while its investigation was taking place.
