Northern Ireland

Harassment forcing me to stand down says principal

St Patrick's in Keady has been the top performing non-grammar school twice in the last four years
St Patrick's in Keady has been the top performing non-grammar school twice in the last four years St Patrick's in Keady has been the top performing non-grammar school twice in the last four years

THE head of the north's top-performing secondary school, which is being investigated for alleged exam malpractice, has handed in her resignation.

Pat McGuckian is to step down as principal of St Patrick's High School in Keady at the end of the summer.

She stressed that her decision was due to 16 months of harassment from anonymous letters, not because of the malpractice probe.

An independent investigation into the school is nearing a conclusion.

It looked at allegations of cheating, which centred around GCSE English and maths papers in the summer of 2017.

The school put in place additional arrangements for the supervision of pupils entitled to access arrangements "to ensure confidence in the integrity" of exams to be taken in January this year.

It is understood that this extra supervision was a `stop-gap' designed to give confidence to the examinations processes while the investigation was underway.

It has since been suggested that there will be a massive slump in performance in some modules when the January results are made public.

However, it has been cautioned that the overall performance will not be known until there is a final analysis of results, which is some way off.

Read more:Analysis - Principal's departure is 'not linked to allegations of cheating'

Ms McGuckian told the Irish News that her resignation was not linked to the investigation, and she expected to be exonerated.

"I feel that I have had no choice but to resign from my position as principal of St Patrick's High School, before I was truly ready to go," she said.

"This is due entirely to a vicious campaign of bullying and harassment which has been ongoing for the last 16 months and coming from particular sources. My own health and that of my family members has suffered as a result.

"The PSNI are investigating the matter as a hate crime and I am taking legal advice. The full truth about what has been happening will emerge in due course.

"I have been supported throughout this time by the excellent board of governors and together we have done our utmost to ensure that the pupils' education and welfare have been unaffected. I am confident that this will continue to be the case. St Patrick's continues to be an innovative and progressive school with a dedicated and professional staff."

The two independent investigators are yet to publish their final report, although it is understood it has been passed to the CCEA exams board.

CCEA will consider what, if any, specific determinations need to be made, and these will then be forwarded to the school's board of governors. At this stage, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools will provide advice and support for the governors who will have to respond.

A CCEA spokeswoman said the council would not comment on individual malpractice cases.

"We take any allegation of malpractice seriously and, in accordance with JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) procedures, we would carry out a full investigation. The integrity of our examinations is of the utmost importance. CCEA, like all exam boards, has robust processes and checks in place, including an inspection service, to ensure we have a fair system for all students."

Read more:Analysis - Principal's departure is 'not linked to allegations of cheating'