A COUNTY councillor is pushing to ask an urgent question over claims that a headteacher’s actions to change children’s test results were ‘swept under the carpet’.

Cllr Jacob Williams has submitted an urgent question to full council (Thursday, 10am, County Hall) following the recent Education Workforce Council’s Fitness to Practise case involving Saundersfoot CP ex-headteacher Helen Lester.

Cllr Williams has submitted the following to council chairman Paul Harries, asking him to include it on Thursday’s agenda: “The Education Workforce Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee recently determined that Helen Lester, “acted with unacceptable professional misconduct” by, among other things, changing pupils’ test results in an effort to “make the school look good.”

“During the hearing it was claimed that concerns were brought to the attention of Pembrokeshire County Council’s education department by the new headteacher, Nick Allen, ten days after he started at the school, who was told there was no need for an investigation as the headteacher in question had left.

“As a matter of urgency, under requisite powers, could the leader or cabinet member please respond to this incident, specifically addressing: – When concerns were first brought to the education department’s attention, how these were treated, what the outcome was and if this is now being reviewed.

– Whether any efforts are being made to establish if similar practices have occurred at other schools, and to try and prevent future occurrences.”

Cllr Williams told the Western Telegraph: "We obviously can't expect the council's education department to be aware of and responsible for each and every school staff member's actions, however the claim emerging from the conduct hearing is that these serious issues were brought to the education department's attention and swept under the carpet.

“If this is what happened then County Hall's response has been just as reckless as the headteacher fiddling pupils' results, and could give rise to further inquiries into professional conduct."

Cllr Williams is currently waiting to hear if his question will be allowed.