TEACHER’S £8K PAYOUT FOR ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ SUSPENSION
Tribunal slams both sides of school clash
ABIOLOGY teacher who was handed a “patently unjustified” and “outrageous” suspension by his headmaster has won £8,000 compensation for “injury to feelings” but both he and his employers have been criticised by a tribunal.
Ysgol Friars, Bangor, head Neil Foden and his senior colleagues were provoked by the “antagonistic approach” of the teacher Simon Wilson but they responded in a “petty and vindictive” manner, an employment tribunal heard.
The judgement comes days after another tribu- nal, taken by teacher Elandre Snyman, described the Ysgol Friars boss as “autocratic” after he wrote a reference for Elandre Snyman and included that he’d been investigated for malpractice – but didn’t add he’d been cleared.
In the latest hearing the panel heard how Mr Wilson fell out with senior colleagues in a row about exam results.
In September 2014, Dr Keith Varty, head of science, announced at a science meeting that the school had achieved a 100% pass mark in three BTEC classes for Applied Science. Mr Wilson knew this was wrong but “surprisingly” didn’t say anything at the time, the panel said.
Instead he checked records before raising concerns and opted for a more “formal, perhaps confrontational, path”.
Mr Wilson became convinced his concerns were not being addressed and he went to see deputy head Gareth Parry the following month and raised the exam irregularity again.
The tribunal said: “In a ‘normal’ workplace, we would expect the claimant to raise concerns with his employer promptly and without the need to obtain proof, surreptitiously or otherwise. The approach adopted by the claimant is evidence of his less than positive or constructive relationship with his colleagues.
“The claimant’s request to Mr Parry that he be ‘protected’ pursuant to the whistleblowing policy is a further illustration of an uncongenial working environment.”
The tribunal was convinced Mr Foden had at one stage been “looking for an excuse to make things difficult for the claimant”.
Mr Wilson was seen as an “irritant” and an “inappropriate” formal disciplinary warning had been issued by Mr Foden, unrelated to the exam saga.
This warning was a device to “mark his card,” the panel said.
In 2016 deputy head David Healey reported Mr Wilson to the Information Commissioner over the record checks and Mr Wilson was suspended.
The tribunal ruled the suspension “patently unjustified.”
The data breach allegations “had a veneer so thin as to be transparent”, the panel said. “There was no veracity in these allegations. To suspend a long-established teacher on these alle- gations was outrageous.
“No-one really emerges with any credit. The claimant adopted an antagonistic approach to senior managers. His argumentative and uncompromising approach appears to have predated the event under our scrutiny.
“We expected schoolteachers to lead by example. We doubted whether any of the central characters would endure such petulant behaviour from pupils so we were truly astonished, and concerned, that things got so far out of control.”
Gwynedd Council has been asked to comment on the rulings.