Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Hamilton teacher who unlawfully passed students banned from classroom

NZME.
10 Mar, 2015 01:46 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Photo / Thinkstock

Photo / Thinkstock

A Hamilton high school teacher who gave pass grades to students whose work had been assessed as "not achieved" has been banned from the classroom.

It was the second time Maria Joan Bernadette Leyden had come before the Teacher's Council disciplinary tribunal on a similar charge.

Ms Leyden, a textiles teacher, was charged with serious misconduct during her time at Hamilton's Fairfield College in 2013.

The charge said she issued a credit grade to students that previously had been notified as "non-achieved", and published grades without the authorisation of her head of faculty, against policy.

When work that she had graded as "achieved" was moderated as "not achieved", she published the grade as "achieved", despite being instructed otherwise.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ms Leyden also told students their grades before moderation, and despite being told not to, tried to amend grades that had already been entered.

The tribunal said Ms Leyden had been found guilty of serious misconduct in 2012, and as a result had to be under intensive supervision for 20 weeks after accepting a new teaching position. She was also charged with not complying with that order.

Fairfield College principal Richard Crawford told the tribunal he was aware of the issues at a previous high school, and had appointed assistant principal Maria Dunn as her supervisor.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Crawford said during the year he became aware Ms Leyden was not meeting the school's assessment requirements, and issues had also been raised by parents of a student.

The tribunal decision, dated January 28, said a teacher's failure to meet assessment rules strikes at the integrity of the New Zealand qualification system.

It was also the second time the teacher had been before the tribunal for similar conduct.

Ms Leyden did not file any evidence or submission and took no part in the proceeding, and the tribunal inferred she did not wish to retain registration.

She was censured for serious misconduct and deregistered.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

WWI soldier’s journal of scientific breakthrough gifted to National Army Museum

Waikato Herald

Youths seen brandishing knives and machetes before fatal Hamilton street fight

Waikato Herald

'Senseless act of violence': 20yo man killed after Hamilton street fight


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

WWI soldier’s journal of scientific breakthrough gifted to National Army Museum
Waikato Herald

WWI soldier’s journal of scientific breakthrough gifted to National Army Museum

'Purdie’s observations of a particular method of water sterilisation are remarkable.'

20 Jul 05:00 PM
Youths seen brandishing knives and machetes before fatal Hamilton street fight
Waikato Herald

Youths seen brandishing knives and machetes before fatal Hamilton street fight

20 Jul 01:34 AM
'Senseless act of violence': 20yo man killed after Hamilton street fight
Waikato Herald

'Senseless act of violence': 20yo man killed after Hamilton street fight

19 Jul 10:42 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP