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Amersham head: teacher "fell short" of standards
THE former boss of a Maths teacher rapped yesterday for unprofessional conduct said he had "fallen short" of its high standards.
Dr Mark Fenton, headteacher of Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham spoke after Martin Rutter was found guilty of four charges of unacceptable professional conduct.
The General Teaching Council hearing heard Rutter slapped a pupil over the head and swore at another - but was allowed to keep his job.
He stepped down in January 2004 shortly before being called to a disciplinary hearing at the Chesham Road school, where he had worked since 1990.
Dr Fenton said: "At Challoner's, we place the welfare of students as our top priority and there had been had been several occasions in the preceding years when Mr Rutter's conduct had, in our view, fallen short of the high standards of professionalism which we expect.
"Concerns which had been raised by students about Mr Rutter were therefore addressed promptly through our disciplinary procedure.
"The school has been co-operating with the General Teaching Council in this matter and I fully support today's judgement."
Mr Rutter was "not a good role" model said Ralph Ullmann, who chaired yesterday's hearing in Birmingham.
Mr Rutter "showed a lack of respect for young people" and his actions "had the effect of seriously undermining and demeaning pupils".
The panel found Mr Rutter guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
Mr Rutter, of Bellingdon Road, Chesham admitted three allegations and denied one - but had all four upheld against him.
On one occasion, he left a pupil "upset and shaken" after slapping him on the head, the hearing was told.
A statement from the unnamed pupil said: "I began to make silly noises which annoyed Mr Rutter.
"He got up and slapped me on the head to shock me into being quiet.
"It was fairly hard but not hard enough to be painful. I don't consider this action to be justifiable."
He was given a written warning by headteacher Dr Mark Felton - but was in trouble again the following spring term over two incidents with a year nine student.
The child, identified as Pupil C, said during a practice SATs exam he accidentally drew a graph in pen in the wrong place and began to cross it out.
Mr Rutter picked up his paper and called his work "f*****g crap" the hearing was told.
He later grabbed a library book from Pupil C, causing it to tear.
Middle-aged Mr Rutter told the panel: "It wasn't a deliberate tear. It was a violent picking up of the book and shaking it."
But he accepted his actions would have "frightened the children".
The same day, he called the same pupil a "lazy sod" in a report book on the student's class.
He was given a final written warning by governors and resigned in 2004. He is now at Windsor Boys' School.
The hearing also heard Mr Rutter tore up a test paper of a year seven pupil he accused of cheating.
Several students interviewed later said Mr Rutter had called the pupil a "pillock" under his breath, though this was not remembered by the pupil or Mr Rutter.
Mr Rutter argued this incident did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct.
Deputy head Stephanie Horrocks, present at the hearing, said: "We would never use a word like that to a student in our school.
"We would never want to call a student anything at all."
He received anger management training paid for by the school but refused further counselling, the panel was told.
Colleagues said the training helped him.
Mrs Horrocks said she believed Mr Rutter's behaviour could have partly down to running extra curricular activities, some at weekends and lunch times.
Mr Rutter was made the subject of a conditional registration order which means reports will be compiled on his conduct every July and December to July 2011.
These reports are to ensure there no further "episodes or incidents of inappropriate behaviour towards or treatment of pupils, including the use of unacceptable language".
4:30pm Friday 9th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: rutter, Chesham on 7:03am Tue 13 May 08
I don't want to try to justify what I did, but would ask my detractors to consider what my current headmaster wrote to the GTC:
22nd April 2008
Testimonial on behalf of M.R. Rutter
I am delighted to write openly on behalf of ‘Rikki’ Rutter who is a member of my teaching staff and has been so for the past four years, since his move from Dr. Challoner’s School, Amersham.
Rikki’s trade is that he is a very good Mathematics teacher indeed. Teaching Mathematics to boys represents its challenges in WBS and indeed nationally. Boys need cajoling to learn and stimulated in their teaching. You have to establish a strong rapport with young people to win their respect and develop a careful understanding of the material. If you relate your teaching of Mathematics to the real world with boys particularly, there is then a better understanding and a greater willingness to want to succeed. Rikki is capable of all this and more. He has a very good Mathematics know-how and he is able to get this across. He has an instinctive understanding of his students when they are struggling to appreciate some of the more difficult Mathematics concepts. He knows when to pause and when to produce greater challenge. Because of his knowledge of his students he can relate to them, question about their sporting or artistic interests, thereby overcoming difficulties some teachers experience because they are not able to manage their classrooms. Rikki has no such difficulty. His classroom management is excellent. He is firm but always fair. As a teacher I rate him highly. Because of this I have promoted him to a senior pastoral role, as House Leader, in September 2007. He has the responsibility for the learning of 120 students across the age and ability range. He has the responsibility of their general progress. In our school this is about their development socially and as all-round students. It is a major responsibility. He is accountable to students and parents and works directly with Key Stage Coordinators and my Deputy Headmaster. In this role he is an example to others. He gives freely of his time and is prepared to listen. He will engineer circumstances to ensure he knows those in his charge and is well placed to advise on progress.
If WBS has a real strength it is in its ethos, and this can be seen in commitment to extra-curricular activity. In this regard also Rikki is outstanding. He leads the Duke of Edinburgh Award and is always in support. The Head Boys’ Dinner, for example, was inspired by him. The sight of him leading a team of ‘wannabee’ chefs, rolling up his sleeves cooking and washing up says it all. Guess who it is then who rolls down the sleeves to toast Her Majesty!
All in all you will glean from my comments that I rate ‘Rikki’ Rutter of the ‘top drawer’. The Windsor Boys’ School is all the richer for the commitment Rikki gives. I should be pleased to be contacted further on Rikki’s behalf.
Jeffrey Dawkins
HEADMASTER & NATIONAL LEADER OF EDUCATION
I don't want to try to justify what I did, but would ask my detractors to consider what my current headmaster wrote to the GTC:
22nd April 2008
Testimonial on behalf of M.R. Rutter
I am delighted to write openly on behalf of ‘Rikki’ Rutter who is a member of my teaching staff and has been so for the past four years, since his move from Dr. Challoner’s School, Amersham.
Rikki’s trade is that he is a very good Mathematics teacher indeed. Teaching Mathematics to boys represents its challenges in WBS and indeed nationally. Boys need cajoling to learn and stimulated in their teaching. You have to establish a strong rapport with young people to win their respect and develop a careful understanding of the material. If you relate your teaching of Mathematics to the real world with boys particularly, there is then a better understanding and a greater willingness to want to succeed. Rikki is capable of all this and more. He has a very good Mathematics know-how and he is able to get this across. He has an instinctive understanding of his students when they are struggling to appreciate some of the more difficult Mathematics concepts. He knows when to pause and when to produce greater challenge. Because of his knowledge of his students he can relate to them, question about their sporting or artistic interests, thereby overcoming difficulties some teachers experience because they are not able to manage their classrooms. Rikki has no such difficulty. His classroom management is excellent. He is firm but always fair. As a teacher I rate him highly. Because of this I have promoted him to a senior pastoral role, as House Leader, in September 2007. He has the responsibility for the learning of 120 students across the age and ability range. He has the responsibility of their general progress. In our school this is about their development socially and as all-round students. It is a major responsibility. He is accountable to students and parents and works directly with Key Stage Coordinators and my Deputy Headmaster. In this role he is an example to others. He gives freely of his time and is prepared to listen. He will engineer circumstances to ensure he knows those in his charge and is well placed to advise on progress.
If WBS has a real strength it is in its ethos, and this can be seen in commitment to extra-curricular activity. In this regard also Rikki is outstanding. He leads the Duke of Edinburgh Award and is always in support. The Head Boys’ Dinner, for example, was inspired by him. The sight of him leading a team of ‘wannabee’ chefs, rolling up his sleeves cooking and washing up says it all. Guess who it is then who rolls down the sleeves to toast Her Majesty!
All in all you will glean from my comments that I rate ‘Rikki’ Rutter of the ‘top drawer’. The Windsor Boys’ School is all the richer for the commitment Rikki gives. I should be pleased to be contacted further on Rikki’s behalf.
Jeffrey Dawkins
HEADMASTER & NATIONAL LEADER OF EDUCATION
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