Teacher banned after re-writing pupil’s coursework and sending it to exam board

A school teacher who re-wrote one of her pupil’s coursework before submitting it to an exam board has been banned from the profession.

Lauren Oliver, 35, tampered with the work after telling the pupil it was being sampled for moderation while teaching health and social care at the Oasis Academy Shirley Park in Croydon, south London, in November 2022.

She then signed several documents alongside the submission that confirmed the work had been completed by the pupil when this was not the case, a Teaching Regulation Agency panel heard.

Ms Oliver failed to notify the school about her actions, which resulted in the pupil temporarily receiving a better grade.

The panel found the teacher had displayed dishonest and inappropriate behaviour, and that her actions were “unethical and therefore lacked integrity”.

Ms Oliver, who had taught at the school since 2012, was one of its lead internal verifiers at the time of the incident, meaning she was responsible for assuring the authenticity of coursework submitted by students for assessment.

After informing the pupil she would write the coursework on her behalf, the teacher re-wrote two tasks that formed part of unit 14 in the assessment.

The pupil informed the school principle of the matter herself in June 2023, some five months after the work had been submitted.

Ms Oliver resigned from her role in October 2023 after admitting the allegations made against her.

An extensive investigation was undertaken by the school after the incident to determine whether Ms Oliver’s actions were an isolated incident.

The panel found Ms Oliver’s behaviour had “fundamentally breached the standard of conduct expected of a teacher” as she “sought to exploit her position of trust”.

“Cheating in an assessment undermines the integrity of the assessment process used throughout the education system,” it said.

“Assessments are a fundamental aspect of the education system founded on integrity, trust and fairness.

“Ms Oliver placed Pupil A in a very difficult position where they found themselves in June 2023 reporting their teacher’s misconduct to the principal.”

Decision-maker Sarah Buxcey, acting on behalf of the Education Secretary, banned Ms Oliver from teaching indefinitely subject to a two-year review period.