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Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 26 April 2007

Angela Mason outside Acland Burghley

Ban threat to teacher over secret filming

Undercover role for TV exposé

A FORMER teacher who secretly filmed children at a Camden secondary school is waiting to see whether she will be banned from ever returning to a classroom again.
Angela Mason faces being struck off after complaints about her covert filming for Classroom Chaos, a documentary about bad behaviour in schools screened by Channel 5.
She attended a misconduct hearing at the General Teaching Council headquarters in Birmingham on Monday.
Ms Mason, from Aberdare Gardens, West Hampstead, was given supply work at a series of schools two years ago.
But, once inside, she used her position to film classes using secret cameras in a button and a briefcase.
Part of the film showed pupils at Acland Burghley School in Tufnell Park apparently eating chocolate in class, swearing and searching the internet for pornography.
It was held up as evidence that children were running riot in inner-city schools without adequate discipline.
The documentary’s makers said pupils and schools could not be identified as faces had been blurred during editing. But almost immediately after its national broadcast, parents recognised Acland Burghley in the footage and it was named in a New Journal exclusive.
Ms Mason, who applied for the supply work under the name Silvia Thomas, said the filming was justified because it had exposed the problem of poor classroom behaviour.
Acland Burghley headteacher Michael Shew said on Tuesday that he was not due to attend the tribunal hearing.
He said: “I wrote a letter of complaint to the film production company and we made a few internal changes. But I did not take things further because there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all of these things. This was a couple of years ago.”
At the time, Mr Shew said the film was “not reflective of 99 out of 100 lessons” at the school.
Ms Mason said she taught for a day at Acland Burghley and had behavioural problems in most classes.
Her lawyer told a tribunal hearing: “Angela Mason’s actions were in the public interest in its broadest sense. She is merely the messenger, and we submit you should not shoot the messenger.”
Ms Mason returned to the classroom for the filming after a 30-year break from teaching.
Bradley Albuery, the GTC’s presenting officer, said: “She was there not as a broadcaster but as a teacher. All her attention should have been directed at the education of the children. That she took a camera into the classroom shows her agenda was not focused wholly on the needs of the children.”
The case is due to be resolved by a panel of three today (Thursday).

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