Teaching assistant is banned from work for year for messages to boy

A TEACHING assistant at an Anglesey secondary school who became friendly with a “vulnerable” 11-year-old pupil and exchanged hundreds of messages with him via social media has been suspended from work for a year.

Some of the messages included references to sexual behaviour, homophobic slurs, and discussion around suicide.

Andrew James Williams started working at Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni as a level two teaching assistant in September 2020, working mainly in classrooms with Year Seven pupils.

In May 2021 the school received an anonymous phone call from a member of the public who said that Williams was friends with a male pupil on social media platforms, including Instagram, and that he was in direct contact with him, Walesonline reports.

On May 17, 2021, deputy head teacher at Ysgol Llangefni, Ffion Wyn Gough, and head teacher Huw Davies met with Williams to discuss the concerns that had been raised with the school. Williams admitted communicating with the boy on social media and handed over his phone for Mrs Gough to look at. She saw hundreds of messages between the two, including photos.

The police were alerted and two officers attended the school and spoke to Williams. They conducted an investigation but no further action was taken with regards to a criminal investigation.

However a investigation launched by and Williams disciplinary was the school was suspended.

During that investigation it was revealed that Williams had been messaging the 11-year-old pupil for around four months. To begin with the messages were about schoolwork but they then evolved into discussions about a singer they both liked and other topics.

At an Education Workforce Council (EWC) fitness to practise hearing held over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, Williams’ relationship with the boy over social media was described as being like “two friends of the same age and not of someone in a position of trust”.

Tiktok clips were shared which were described as “very inappropriate” and containing “sexual references”.

The chair of the EWC hearing, Peter Owen, detailed how the boy was “considered to be a vulnerable pupil” who was having issues dealing with anger.

It was also revealed at the hearing that Williams sent a message to the boy which referenced suicide, saying: “Sometimes I feel that would be a good solution.”

He also sent a message in which he called one of the teachers at the school “the loud fat one”.

While it was agreed there was no suggestion that Williams incited sexual behaviour in his messages many were found to have sexual references.

One included a meme sent with a message to the boy saying: “I think this looks like someone giving a b*** j**.” Another message read: “F***ing hate gays, need shooting.”

The hearing’s presenting officer, Cadi Dewi, said Williams had not shown remorse and had not appreciated the seriousness of the situation.

Legal adviser Graham Miles said that Williams, who was not present at the hearing, had no previous disciplinary issues and that, when confronted by his superiors at the school, he “did not seek to conceal the communications he had with the pupil and provided ready access to his mobile phone”.

The actions of Williams, who had already left his job at Ysgol Llangefni prior to the EWC hearing, were found to amount to unacceptable professional conduct.

After retiring to consider what punishment should be handed to Williams the panel concluded that he should be suspended from the EWC for a period of 12 months from March 29, 2023. This means he is banned from working in a classroom in Wales for a year and his return to doing so in future is based on conditions - namely that he must undertake level two training in safeguarding children.