Ribble Valley dance teacher gave out fake awards (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Ribble Valley dance teacher gave out fake awards

9:52am Thursday 21st February 2013 in News By Jessica Cree, Education reporter

A DANCE teacher who falsely issued exam certificates has been told she will have to pay compensation to the pupils she cheated.

A judge ordered former Stonyhurst College teacher Natasha Jones, who pleaded guilty to four counts of using a false instrument, to pay £375 to two families issued with fake awards from prestigious examining bodies.

The 35-year-old, from Boarded Barn, Euxton, was the owner of now closed The Ballet Academy dance school in Clayton-le-Woods.

Preston Crown Court heard how in 2010 parents started to become suspicious of the validity of the certificates.

She was also sentenced to a community order with supervision for 12 months.

PC Rik Nicol from Chorley police said: “The result has been a massive relief to all concerned.

“I cannot praise the parents enough, they have displayed an excellent level of patience, determination and support for their children.”

A statement from the three awarding bodies, the International Dance Teachers’ Association, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, and the Royal Academy of Dance, said: “As three of the world’s leading dance education organisations and recognised examinations boards, the IDTA, ISTD and RAD consider every instance of false certification of examinations to be malpractice, and it is therefore taken extremely seriously.

“We would like to reassure members of the three organisations that we remain committed to safeguarding the standards and reputation of our examinations and teaching, and to protecting our teachers and their students from the consequences of such criminal behaviour.

“We would like to reassure members that appropriate action will be taken in all cases where there is suspected fraud and malpractice.”

A spokesman at Stonyhurst said Jones had not taught there for 18 months.

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