A FORMER headteacher has been cleared of unacceptable professional misconduct after being accused of making alterations to children’s exam papers and coaching a pupil during an exam.

Trevor Croasdale of Bradley Fold, was headteacher at St Paul’s CE Primary School in Huntley Mount Road, Bury, from 1992, before resigning in September 2013.

The Standards and Testing Agency accused Mr Croasdale, now aged 60, of changing answers on at least eight maths and English key stage 2 test papers in May 2012, and of coaching a pupil during another exam in May 2013 to the extent that he gained an advantage.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership held a professional conduct hearing in Coventry last week and rejected both allegations.

After the hearing, Mr Croasdale said that he decided to resign as he was suffering ill health which has since improved.

He said: “I am happy with the panel’s decision. It is a relief that it is over.

“I’m grateful to the National College for Teaching and Leadership for taking the opportunity to consider the allegations laid against me, consider the evidence and thus clear my name regarding the accusations.

“I’m thankful for the support of all my staff, who’ve remained solidly behind me throughout.”

The panel had concluded that exam papers were tampered with at the school before they were sent for external marking, but in their view, could not be proven Mr Croasdale was responsible.

The papers were subsequently annulled. The hearing’s report also said the assistance Mr Croasdale gave the pupil during the exam was inappropriate and he breached standards relating to the conduct of examinations.

The allegations arose after the 2012 exams, when officials noticed inconsistencies in some English and maths papers and alleged two different types of pens and handwriting were used on some of them.

When asked by the panel, Mr Croasdale suggested changes were “probably made either with pupils’ own pens or with new pens provided by the school,” according to the report, but the panel’s view was that someone other than the pupils used the second pen.

It could not be established how many people had access to them and the panel concluded any evidence that Mr Croasdale changed the papers was merely circumstantial.

During the maths exam on May 15, 2013, a group of 10 and 11-year-olds were working when Mr Croasdale spoke to a pupil about a question, which asked youngsters to refer to a diagram and work out how far eight people travelled to work and by what mode of transport.

A Bury Council school improvement officer responsible for assessment claimed they overheard Mr Croasdale explaining the key to the diagram to the pupil.

It turned out Mr Croasdale said “...now check and move on”.

The report suggested the pupil involved did not gain any unfair advantage.

The intervention was contrary to the guidance teachers must follow when assisting children during exams, the panel concluded.

The report said: “Mr Croasdale may not have read the guidance, but he should have done.

“The panel is satisfied that this intervention was inappropriate.”

The report added: “The panel does not find what was done was dishonest. The panel notes that this was a one-off incident.

“Mr Croasdale appears to have been motivated by a desire to help the pupil, rather than to give any unfair advantage.”

The report suggested the pupil involved did not gain any unfair advantage.