A married headteacher who had an affair with a pupil's mother, made a "sexist and misogynistic" comment to a pregnant colleague and was absent during the school day for long periods has been banned from the classroom. An Education Workforce Wales panel found Aled Rees told a 25-year-old teacher who was pregnant "that will teach you to open your legs", or words to that effect, despite his denial.
Striking him off the teaching register for a minimum of two years, the EWC panel found all allegations against Mr Rees proven and that they amounted to unacceptable professional conduct. The committee decided it was unlikely that year five teacher Elen Davies lied when she told the hearing that he made the derogatory comment to her during a meeting in his office, despite there being no witnesses and despite his denial.
Miss Davies said the comment, made five years ago, left her feeling vulnerable at the time but that she didn't report it at the time because she thought it would be a young teacher's word against an experienced headteacher's.
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Owain James, legal representative for the EWC, told the last day of the remote hearing on May 5 it was "highly unlikely Elen Davies would appear before this hearing and lie". He added that it was "a shameful comment" and said: "There is no role in a professional relationship for such language. It implies sexist and misogynistic feelings".
Mr Rees, who resigned as headteacher of Ysgol Teilo Sant in Llandeilo in January 2021, apologised to his family and colleagues for his affair and behaviour during the time during at an earlier part of the professional conduct hearing. During the four-day hearing the committee heard the daughter of the woman with whom Mr Rees had an affair was in the same class as his son. The headteacher left the school site frequently without explanation or planning, and the woman he was seeing rang him at school so often that office staff recognised her number.
The former headteacher had told the panel earlier he was struggling with problems in his personal life. He spent long periods chatting to the woman at the school gate and on his school phone and her husband revealed the affair to a teacher a few weeks after the Covid lockdown began in March 2020. Mr Rees said he had left the school site without explanation as an escape because he was not coping with events in his personal life. He told the hearing he would regret what happened for the rest of his life.
Mr James told the panel that Mr Rees was absent from the school during the working day for around 30 hours over a five-month period as he "sought refuge and sanctuary in his car". Mr Rees admitted all the allegations against him apart from the derogatory comment to Elen Davies.
The allegations against Mr Rees
The following allegations against Mr Rees were found proved by proved by the panel:
- From around September 2018 to February 2020, he spent an excessive amount of time away from the school site on activities that did not relate to school business and/or was uncontactable during the working day.
- From around September 2018 to February 2020, he did not consistently ensure the senior leadership team and/or the administrative office were informed that he was leaving the school site and/or where he was going; and/or when he would return
- From around September 2018 to February 2020, he did not ensure sufficient cover with the senior leadership team in his role as designated safeguarding officer and/or headteacher when he was not on site at the school should an incident occur in his absence.
- From around September 2018 to February 2020, he spent an excessive amount of time engaged in personal telephone calls during the working day.
- By virtue of his extra-marital relationship with the mother of a child at the school, he placed himself in a position where he was, or risked being, unable to fulfil his responsibility to ensure the well-being of the pupil; and/or there was a clear risk of a conflict of interest, or the perception of a conflict of interest, between his personal interests and his role as headtacher and/or designated safeguarding officer.
- In or around July 2018, in response to a pregnant colleague querying a decision that he had made, he made a derogatory comment saying: “That will teach you to open your legs” (“Dyna ddysgu ti i agor dy goesau” in Welsh) or words to that effect.(this allegation was denied by Mr Rees).
- His conduct at allegations one to five above demonstrated a lack of integrity.
- The facts of allegations one to seven constitute unacceptable professional conduct when considered individually and/or together.
Striking Mr Rees off the teaching register the committee noted his regret and previous good career record. He cannot re-apply to join the register for a minimum of two years from May 5, 2023. Mr Rees has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days
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