By Andrew Young-
The head of a grammar school who was heavily criticised after telling pupils they could not continue their A-level studies has been suspended.
Aydin Onac was suspended from his position at St Olave’s Grammar School in Orpington earlier on Thursday.
The high achieving school was threatened with legal action by angry parents after the school decided to withdraw two sixth-formers from taking their final exams because they failed to achieve B grades in any of their subjects in the first year of their sixth form. The schools decision would prevent the students from entering year 13 where they would take their final exams.
After legal proceedings were taken against the governing body of St Olave’s on the grounds of unlawful exclusion, the grammar school reversed its decision before the legal hearing. Earlier today, Thursday, Dr Paul Wright, chair of St Olave’s governing body announced Mr Onac has been suspended.
In a statement , he said: “I have been informed that the London Borough of Bromley will be conducting an investigation of St Olave’s Grammar School in respect of concerns that have been raised over recent weeks.
“In light of this, and in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, Mr Onac has been suspended from all of his responsibilities as headmaster of the School.
“In the meantime, members of the senior leadership team, along with other senior teachers, will be responsible for the day to day running of the School during Mr Onac’s absence.
“Please remember that this suspension is without prejudice and does not presume any particular outcome.
“We are committed to full transparency and will be cooperating fully with the local authority in this matter.”
St Olave grammar school is known for its academic excellence and level of seriousness. This year 76% of their students achieved an impressive A star or an A, with 96% of the entries in the school scoring a B. St Olave grammar school train their children to aim high, but this not give the authorities there the license to behave unlawfully. Excluding students from important exams just because they fear that particular students will not do brilliantly and bring the reputation of the school down. The action of the head teacher was awful, and worthy of a dismissal altogether.
A Bromley Council spokeswoman told the eye of media.com: “The suspension of the head is a matter for the Board of Governors.
“Bromley Council has been working very closely with the new Head of Governors at St Olave’s in response to recent events and can confirm that there will be an investigation into concerns raised, though we cannot comment further at this time.”
After the U-turn last month, St Olave’s said its goal has always been to ”nurture boys who flourish” and help them fulfil ”their full potential academically and in life generally”.
This year, 96% of the school’s A-level entries scored at least a B grade, with 76% achieving an A* or A.
The row sparked a debate about whether schools should be allowed to prevent pupils from continuing their studies if they fail to achieve certain grades.