A teacher who amended pupils’ coursework and awarded their grades “dishonestly” has been banned from the classroom.
Tandy L’Enfant worked as lead teacher for health and social care at Joseph Whitaker School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire from September 2023 until she began a period of sick leave on 15 March 2024.
On 27 March 2024, the school commenced an internal investigation into allegations of exam malpractice by Ms L’Enfant and then referred her to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) on 10 May 2024.
Ms L’Enfant faced a number of allegations regarding coursework but one pupil also told the panel that Ms L’Enfant “did not really teach us” and would put on television shows or movies during class, which were not educational programmes but rather what the class wanted to watch instead.
The panel accepted the pupil’s evidence that there may have been times when the class were permitted by Ms L’Enfant to watch television shows. However, it determined that there was not enough precision or corroboration of evidence on this issue for the panel to make a finding that it had happened in every lesson.
As such, the panel instead focused on accusations of failings in the authentication of coursework.
The panel found Ms L’Enfant had amended assignments before submission for assessment, that she awarded grades that were not justified, that she did not maintain actual assessment records and that she requested pupils to sign forms confirming that work was their own – before it had been completed.
Ms L’Enfant admitted that she had amended or added to some pupils’ coursework, purporting it to be their own.
In her written representations, she said: “Yes with the students sat with me working together…I recognize (sic) that my participation in amending student coursework, and the collaborative nature of this work, was not appropriate. I should not have been so supportive in this manner. I regretfully admit to modifying students’ coursework”
The TRA’s case alleged that Ms L’Enfant had amended or added to pupils’ coursework by substituting the work that they had completed with other work. The panel accepted there was evidence to support this having happened on at least one occasion.
A witness observed: “The work submitted by Pupil H to me does appear in the work sent to OCR (exam board) but there appears to be some significant additions to it beyond the work submitted”.
Ms L’Enfant also admitted to submitting grades that “were not fully supported by the available evidence”.
The panel found that she submitted grades for several pupils which their work did not support and, giving evidence, one pupil said: “I have not submitted or finished Unit 1. But have been given a distinction which I don’t understand how”
About her conduct, the panel said the teacher sought to “deliberately subvert the integrity” of a nationally accredited qualification. It found that Ms L’Enfant’s actions constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
It added: “The misconduct involved deliberate conduct and findings of fraud and serious dishonesty.
“The actions were not isolated or momentary lapses of judgement. Rather, they occurred across more than one class, involved more than one examination process and continued over a period of time.”
Ms L’Enfant’s written representation shared her regret at her actions and apologised to her pupils and the school community.
She said: “I deeply regret the decisions I made and the consequences that followed. Regardless of the circumstances I was experiencing at the time, I acknowledge that my actions fell below the professional standards expected of a teacher.
“Throughout this period, I have spent considerable time reflecting on my actions and the standards expected of teachers. I fully recognise that there were moments when I should have acted differently, sought additional support, or challenged decisions more robustly.
“I deeply regret that I did not do so.”
Ms L’Enfant has been prohibited from teaching indefinitely. She may apply for the prohibition order to be set aside but not until 17 June 2031.
