:00:14. > :00:16.Good evening, I'm Asad Ahmad. for the news where you are.
:00:17. > :00:19.Teachers at one of London's top academies have told BBC London
:00:20. > :00:24.they worked in a "climate of intimidation and fear"
:00:25. > :00:27.and witnessed coursework being "falsely marked."
:00:28. > :00:28.Last month, we reported that the head teacher
:00:29. > :00:31.at Green Spring Academy, in Shoreditch, was among several
:00:32. > :00:36.The Trust investigated and says "appropriate action
:00:37. > :00:38.is now being taken", although they say they can't
:00:39. > :00:46.Here's our education correspondent, Marc Ashdown.
:00:47. > :00:48.It's the question at the heart of this investigation -
:00:49. > :00:51.within a couple of years, how could a failing school become
:00:52. > :00:57.outstanding so quickly and GCSE results go through the roof?
:00:58. > :01:01.They were in difficulties and feeling the pressure...
:01:02. > :01:08.John is now retired, but worked at the school for many years.
:01:09. > :01:10.It started, he says, with a clear out of very experienced staff.
:01:11. > :01:15.You know, they would come into work one morning and, presumably,
:01:16. > :01:18.they were asked to leave, or they were asked to hand
:01:19. > :01:20.their keys in and they were escorted from the premises.
:01:21. > :01:23.And this happened to a large number of people, at least ten
:01:24. > :01:34.I mean, obviously, it gave a climate of intimidation and fear,
:01:35. > :01:38.He claims behind it all was a relentless drive
:01:39. > :01:44.to improve results by any means, even cheating.
:01:45. > :01:47.Everything was geared towards exams and it really didn't matter
:01:48. > :02:03.Whether by genuinely taking the exams or, on a few occasions,
:02:04. > :02:06.A teacher awarding a pass mark to a student who hasn't
:02:07. > :02:10.We've been contacted by about half a dozen people who've taught
:02:11. > :02:13.They all paint a very similar picture.
:02:14. > :02:14.They claim often very experienced teachers have
:02:15. > :02:17.either been forced out or, because of their treatment,
:02:18. > :02:19.have been left with no choice but to leave.
:02:20. > :02:21.Meanwhile, GCSE results went from being among the worst
:02:22. > :02:25.The Academy hit the headlines in 2015 when three pupils fled
:02:26. > :02:27.to Syria to join so-called Islamic State.
:02:28. > :02:29.And our thoughts are with the families of the missing
:02:30. > :02:33.The executive head teacher, Mark Keary, was praised
:02:34. > :02:40.The school kept its outstanding Ofsted rating.
:02:41. > :02:42.But last month he was suspended, along with three senior
:02:43. > :02:44.members of staff, as part of an investigation
:02:45. > :02:49.The Department for Education told us "there is no place for cheating
:02:50. > :02:52.in schools and exam malpractice is extremely rare.
:02:53. > :02:54.Following this investigation, exam malpractice has been
:02:55. > :02:56.identified," they say, "resulting in disciplinary action."
:02:57. > :02:59.Green Spring Education Trust said the independent
:03:00. > :03:04.Appropriate action is being taken, which cannot be discussed
:03:05. > :03:09.They believe they've acted robustly and with integrity.
:03:10. > :03:14.We did approach Mark Keary for a comment,
:03:15. > :03:20.A man has been jailed for three years after unintentionally
:03:21. > :03:23.killing his friend with a single punch after his shoe was thrown
:03:24. > :03:27.Alexander Thomson, from Clapham, hit Tom Hume in a drunken row
:03:28. > :03:30.in August as they travelled in a mini-cab on Farringdon
:03:31. > :03:34.Mr Hume died the next day of a brain haemorrhage.
:03:35. > :03:45.The number of fires in prisons in London has reached record levels.
:03:46. > :03:47.Figures show Thameside Prison recorded the most fires of any jail
:03:48. > :03:50.in the country last year, with over 100.
:03:51. > :03:53.The Ministry of Justice says most were "relatively minor."
:03:54. > :03:58.Critics say the figures highlight how "unstable prisons have become."
:03:59. > :04:02.A female victim of a sexual assault on the Tube has waived her right
:04:03. > :04:04.to anonymity to raise awareness of a crime which most
:04:05. > :04:11.Last year, Jessica Brady was travelling on the Northern Line
:04:12. > :04:13.and didn't realise that what had just happened to her
:04:14. > :04:19.She's been speaking to Sarah Harris.
:04:20. > :04:24.Using the Tube was all part of the excitement of moving
:04:25. > :04:26.to London for Jess, her jigsaw puzzle shows all the lines
:04:27. > :04:31.But it ended in turmoil on a late-night journey home
:04:32. > :04:33.on the Northern Line, when a man groped her several times,
:04:34. > :04:45.It caught me off guard, I think, and it frightened me and I went
:04:46. > :04:48.into shock because the only way I can describe it is thinking,
:04:49. > :04:52.And it was the flight mode, probably.
:04:53. > :04:54.I didn't want to bring attention to the scene.
:04:55. > :04:57.I just thought, if he has a knife, he could attack me further,
:04:58. > :05:00.And I just needed to get out of there.
:05:01. > :05:02.I'd like to report being sexually harassed on the Tube.
:05:03. > :05:06.This film is part of a new campaign by TfL and the police,
:05:07. > :05:07.showing how seriously the offence is being taken.
:05:08. > :05:16.What this film shows is every piece of information that comes
:05:17. > :05:19.into the police is taken seriously, it aids an investigation
:05:20. > :05:21.and it helps build up a picture of offenders,
:05:22. > :05:29.We really want to encourage people to come forward and report this kind
:05:30. > :05:32.of offensive behaviour and criminality to us.
:05:33. > :05:36.The message we're trying to get out today is that every single report
:05:37. > :05:39.we receive builds a picture and with those initial reports
:05:40. > :05:41.we can start an investigation, people will be taken seriously.
:05:42. > :05:49.It gives us the best opportunity to catch offenders.
:05:50. > :05:52.Because of CCTV there's been a significant increase in arrests
:05:53. > :05:56.for sexual harrassment on the Tube since 2014.
:05:57. > :05:58.But the rise in reported instances has been even higher.
:05:59. > :06:01.Officers say they're still relying on women like Jess,
:06:02. > :06:06.It wasn't about getting justice for me, it was about making sure
:06:07. > :06:09.that he couldn't do that to somebody else or potentially worse and,
:06:10. > :06:13.if anything, I encourage people to try and think of it like that.
:06:14. > :06:15.Jess prefers to walk these days, but after identifying her attacker
:06:16. > :06:18.she watched in court as he was given a six-month jail sentence.
:06:19. > :06:30.That's it for now from me, but let's find out what
:06:31. > :06:44.Mild today? Set to stay so for the weekend and into next week.
:06:45. > :06:47.Overnight will be cloudy. That will blanket in temperatures,
:06:48. > :06:51.temperatures not falling below nine or ten degrees. To will start off
:06:52. > :06:55.grey and stay mild. There will be good spells of sunshine as we head
:06:56. > :07:00.throughlet course of the afternoon. That grey start, light winds from
:07:01. > :07:03.the south. Dryer air moving off the near continent. The clouds will
:07:04. > :07:07.break up. When we see the sunshine temperatures will push up to 16 or
:07:08. > :07:12.17 Celsius. Very pleasant indeed. Saturday evening will also be dry
:07:13. > :07:16.and fine. Sunday weather fronts come streaming in from the west. Sunday
:07:17. > :07:21.is looking pretty wet to start with. Heavy rain around. That should clear
:07:22. > :07:24.but I think it will never really clear the region throughout the
:07:25. > :07:30.afternoon. Temperatures cool because of the cloud and rain. Saturday the
:07:31. > :07:33.better day of the two. Next week it will be mild with sunshine as well.