“Erratic and confrontational” behaviour from teacher 1/4/14
Janice Ross - who was one of two English teachers at Castlebay School - was found
to have failed to maintain the standards required of a teacher between January 2007
and August 2010.
At the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) panel, Bernard Chisholm, head of children’s services at Western Isles Council, said the school’s English department was “dysfunctional.”
He said Ms Ross could not see anything wrong with her own performance. Her attitude was that “everyone else was at fault.”
Things were so bad that parents complained directly to him about a “lack of progress, a lack of challenge, a lack of homework and homework policy, a lack of information to parents on the content of the English programme, targets not being set through discussion with pupils and a concern that there was not an appropriate breadth and balance in the English programme of work.”
Mr Chisholm said she failed to properly teach pupils or prepare them for crucial exams. She made pupils read aloud out of the same textbook for weeks which took too long and “meant that other important parts of the curriculum were not being delivered.”
Mr Chisholm said there was a “significant breakdown in the confidence of the community in the school management” at that time.
Pupils went to councillor Donald Manford for help and he arranged for them to speak
face-
The GTCS panel said the pupils reported that Ms Ross engaged in bullying/favouritism, failed to teach, wasted a whole term focused on studying a novel just to be told not to use it for their exam.
In addition, crucial work for the English Higher prelim was given less than one month before the important exam. Their prelim results were poor and that there was knowledge amongst pupils of the tensions between staff.
John Dillon, a teacher the Comhairle took in to help, was told by Ms Ross to do photocopying and to clear out cupboards. The teacher also maintained plagiarism or passing off work taken from other sources was being accepted in Standard Grade folio work.
In a written submission, Suzanne Forman, depute head teacher at Castlebay, said a
16-
After an incident, the pupil begged never to be taught by her again.
Head teacher Anne Maclean told the panel one male pupil left Ms Ross’s class because he said “he could not take it any more.”
The panel said Mrs Maclean formed the view that Ms Ross picked on the most able person
in the class -
The Comahirle commissioned independent assessor Dr Pauline Sangster to review the English department.